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Real Madrid News Confirmed: Real Madrid starting lineup to face Malaga | La Liga MD 3 Real Madrid will take on Malaga CF in a little over an hour in Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having started the new campaign with back-to-back wins over RCD Espanyol and Real Sociedad under new manager Jose Mourinho, the Merengues will be eager to maintain their strong start. Changes aplenty With kickoff not far away, Mourinho has announced the Real Madrid starting lineup that will take the field against the newly-promoted La Liga club today at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having fielded the same starting XI for the first two games, the Real Madrid boss has opted to make some changes to the team today. Three of the changes come in defence, where Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, and Marc Cucurella all start, replacing Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, and Alvaro Carreras, respectively. Dean Huijsen is the only player who retains his place in the backline, as he faces his boyhood club. Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, continues in goal. There is a change in midfield as well, as Eduardo Camavinga comes into the side as Federico Valverde’s partner in the double pivot. New signing Bernardo Silva makes way for the Frenchman. Moving further ahead, Brahim Diaz replaces Arda Guler on the right flank, but the rest of the attacking unit remains intact as Jude Bellingham continues in the No. 10 role while Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe retain their places as well. 📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial! — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 30, 2026 🆚 @MalagaCF 👉 @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/OmZVwxHsCK Real Madrid News Mourinho’s curious relationship with Malaga in focus ahead of key Real Madrid clash Real Madrid will be looking for their third consecutive win in La Liga as they host Malaga at the Bernabeu this afternoon. Los Blancos have made a perfect start under Jose Mourinho, following up a 2-1 win over Espanyol with a 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad. It promises to be an interesting game for the Spanish giants, even more so considering the history Mourinho has with the opposition. A spicy history with Malaga As reported by MARCA, Malaga’s visit to the Bernabeu brings back plenty of memories from Mourinho’s first spell in Spain. It was at La Rosaleda that Mourinho first dropped Iker Casillas, a decision that would go on to become one of the defining sagas of his time in the capital. His first visit there was also marked by controversy, after it emerged that then-Malaga coach Jesualdo Ferreira had reportedly branded Mourinho a “donkey” in comments made in Portugal. Then there was his rivalry with Manuel Pellegrini, the man he replaced at Real Madrid. Constant comparisons between the two projects led Mourinho to deliver a pointed message, insisting he would never manage Malaga if Real Madrid ever sacked him. The Casillas controversy Of all those incidents, it is the Casillas saga that continues to resonate most to this day. During the 2012-13 campaign, Mourinho dropped Casillas for a match against Malaga, with cameras famously capturing Florentino Perez’s surprise upon discovering live on television After all, his captain and goalkeeper had been benched in favour of Antonio Adan. The gamble did not pay off, with Real Madrid losing the game 3-2. Mourinho publicly framed it as a simple technical decision, but the passage of time suggested there was far more to the story. Although the current Malaga side, back in the top flight for the first time since 2018, poses a very different challenge, Mourinho will be keen on avoiding an unfortunate result this afternoon.