Jude Bellingham could be set for a positional change on Saturday when Real Madrid host Barcelona in El Clasico.
The ex-Birmingham City youngster enjoyed an outstanding 2023-24 campaign for Los Blancos after arriving from Borussia Dortmund, scoring 23 goals and registering 13 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions from the number 10 spot.
However, he is yet to get off the mark in terms of goals this term, having dropped back into a deeper midfield position to accommodate Kylian Mbappe.
Rodrygo is out of this weekend's game with Barcelona due to a muscular problem, though, which is expected to lead to head coach Carlo Ancelotti switching to the 4-3-1-2 formation which brought so much success last season.
Bellingham is set to operate behind a front two of Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, with the latter entering the match off the back of scoring three times in a 5-2 success over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
There will have to be a change between the sticks, as Thibaut Courtois is out for the next two to three weeks with a problem that he suffered against Dortmund, so Andriy Lunin is in line for a start.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga should both feature in central midfield, while it will again be Lucas Vazquez at right-back due to the long-term absence of Dani Carvajal.
David Alaba remains unavailable for selection due to a long-term knee injury, but Brahim Diaz is back in the squad, with the forward recovering from an injury problem.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
> Click here to see how Barcelona could line up for the match
Matt Law
