Confirmed: Real Madrid starting lineup to face Racing Santander

Confirmed: Real Madrid starting lineup to face Racing Santander Fresh from their impressive 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clasico , Real Madrid return to La Liga action this afternoon as they visit Racing Santander at El Sardinero . Jose Mourinho’s side have an opportunity to maintain the pressure on Hansi Flick’s Barcelona at the top of the table. Barça returned to winning ways last night, securing an emphatic 6-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves and extending their lead over Madrid to 6 points once again. For Los Blancos , the hosts pose a tricky challenge, having remained unbeaten at home in La Liga this season. Ahead of the encounter, Real Madrid have announced their starting line-up, with Mourinho making few changes from the team that defeated Barcelona last weekend. Courtois returns as Mourinho reshuffles defence The biggest change comes in goal, where Thibaut Courtois returns after recovering from the illness that ruled him out of El Clasico . The Belgian replaces Andriy Lunin, who performed admirably against Barcelona. In defence, Trent Alexander-Arnold starts at right-back in place of Federico Valverde, who misses the trip through a fitness concern. Dean Huijsen partners Ibrahima Konate in central defence, while Marc Cucurella continues at left-back. In midfield, Aurelien Tchouameni and Bernardo Silva form the double pivot, providing a combination of defensive security and technical control. The duo performed really well against Barcelona at the Camp Nou , and Mourinho opted for continuity by retaining the pairing. Jude Bellingham operates ahead of them in an advanced midfield role, looking to influence proceedings between the lines. The attacking set-up remains unchanged from El Clasico , with Arda Guler on the right and Yan Diomande on the left. Vinicius Junior remains unavailable through suspension, giving Diomande another opportunity to build on his impressive performance against Barcelona. Kylian Mbappe leads the attack after scoring twice in El Clasico . He will look to make Racing his 24th different scalp in La Liga . Mourinho will hope his team can build on last weekend’s momentum and secure another important victory in the title race. He has options like Endrick, Eder Militao and Carlos Espi to call on from the bench if needed, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare at El Sardinero .