Real Madrid and Sevilla Lineups: Mbappé, Bellingham, and Carvajal Return to the Starting XI

The upcoming match in La Liga's penultimate 37th round between Sevilla and Real Madrid pits two teams in starkly different psychological states. The visitors from the capital have largely concluded their season in the fight for the top spot, as Barcelona has already secured the title, leaving "Los Blancos" in second place with 80 points and no trophies. For Sevilla, however, the stakes are enormous. The Andalusians sit in 12th place with 43 points and, though they are four points away from the relegation zone, they still have a theoretical chance to enter the battle for the 7th spot, which offers a place in European competitions. The current holder of the 7th spot is Getafe with 48 points.

Real Madrid arrives in Sevilla rattled by a series of scandals that marked the past month. Tensions escalated with a physical altercation at the training ground between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, leading to suspensions, and President Florentino Pérez added fuel to the fire with a sharp press conference on May 13th, where he attacked the media and announced new elections. Coach Álvaro Arbeloa also exchanged words with star player Kylian Mbappé. Clearly, the young coach is losing control, and this could be one of his last matches in charge of "Los Blancos." The Santiago Bernabéu is actively seeking a replacement, with José Mourinho being the likely candidate.

Sevilla is in an excellent run under the guidance of Luis García Plaza. The team has recorded three consecutive victories in the league—against Villarreal (3-2), Espanyol (2-1), and Real Sociedad (1-0). These results helped the team distance itself from the relegation zone, despite earlier losses to Osasuna and Levante. The home advantage at the "Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán" stadium will be crucial for their ambitions to stop the Madrid giants.

🚨 Our XI for the match against @RealMadrid ⚪️🔴

Odysseas, Carmona, Castrín, Kike Salas, Suazo, Gudelj, Sow, Vargas, Oso, Akor, and Maupay. #SevillaRealMadrid | #WeAreSevilla | #NuncaTeRindas

Real Madrid has shown inconsistent play recently, alternating wins with disappointments. In their last five matches, Arbeloa's protégés recorded three victories (against Real Oviedo, Espanyol, and Alavés), a draw with Betis, and a painful 0-2 loss to eternal rival Barcelona. The lack of tournament motivation in the league seems to be affecting the team's concentration, which is more preoccupied with internal issues than with what happens on the pitch.

The statistics are decidedly in Madrid's favor—Sevilla has not won against this rival in the last 14 encounters in all competitions. Earlier this season, Real Madrid won 2-0 at "Bernabéu" with goals from Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé.

The home side from Sevilla will be without injured players Marcao and Manu Bueno. In attack, the Andalusians rely on Nigerian striker Akor Adams and French attacker Nils Moubarek.

📋✅ Our starting XI!
🆚 @SevillaFC
👉 @UnicajaBanco

In the Real Madrid camp, the list of absentees is long: Rodrigo, Arda Güler, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, and Federico Valverde are missing the match. Andrey Lunin is also injured, and Dani Ceballos is once again out of the squad.

Arbeloa has nearly completely changed the lineup from the victory over Oviedo last week. The biggest news is the return of goalscorer Kylian Mbappé to the starting lineup, replacing Gonzalo García and partnering with Vinícius. Jude Bellingham and Tiago Pitaluga have been preferred over Franco Mastantuono and Eduardo Camavinga. Antonio Rüdiger and Daniel Carvajal are also starting from the first minute, with the defensive quartet fully rotated, where Dijon Haeusser and Fran García are also starting. Thibaut Courtois will once again...