Real Madrid vs Elche Lineups OUT Guler Diomande Start As Bellingham Dumfries Benched By Mourinho

Author: Samannay Sen
Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:10 AM (IST)
Source:JND

HighLights

Arda Güler and Yan Diomande start in Real Madrid’s attack against Elche.
Jude Bellingham and Denzel Dumfries are named among the substitutes.
José Mourinho makes several changes, with Aurélien Tchouameni making his first start of the season.

Real Madrid have confirmed their starting lineup for their clash against Elche, with José Mourinho making several notable changes to his team in their La Liga clash.

Arda Güler and Yan Diomandé have been handed starts, while Jude Bellingham and Denzel Dumfries are among the notable names left on the bench.

Mourinho Makes Bold Rotation Call

Real Madrid have still named a strong attacking unit despite the changes, with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior both starting. The decision to leave Bellingham out of the starting XI, however, will attract plenty of attention given the midfielder's importance to the team.

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Güler's inclusion provides the youngster with another opportunity to impress from the start. The Turkish playmaker is expected to operate centrally behind Mbappé and could play a crucial role in creating chances.

Diomandé has also been rewarded with a starting berth and will feature alongside Güler and Vinícius in the attacking line.

Elche Look To Frustrate Madrid

Elche, meanwhile, will enter the game with a midfield-heavy lineup designed to compete against Madrid's possession. Gonzalo Villar, Federico Redondo, Germán Valera, Martim Neto and Marc Aguado will look to make the central areas difficult for the hosts.

Abiel Osorio and Tete Morente will lead the Elche attack and could look to exploit spaces on the counter-attack.

Matías Dituro starts in goal, with Roy Revivo, Buba Sangaré and Víctor Chust forming the defensive unit.

Bellingham And Dumfries On The Bench

The presence of Bellingham and Dumfries among the substitutes gives Mourinho strong options to change the game if required. The Madrid boss can introduce additional experience and attacking quality during the second half if Elche manage to contain his starting lineup.

For now, the spotlight will be on Güler, Diomandé, Vinícius and Mbappé as Madrid look to make their rotated XI count.

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