Vinicius Junior starts on the bench as Mourinho names Real Madrid team to face Villarreal

Jose Mourinho has left Vinicius Junior out of Real Madrid’s starting line-up for Saturday evening’s La Liga meeting with Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Brazil forward will begin the eighth-round fixture among the substitutes, with Mourinho selecting Ivorian forward Yan Diomande instead.

Diomande will play alongside Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in the Real Madrid attack.

Federico Valverde has also been included from the start despite doubts over his availability after he was injured in the Madrid derby.

Real Madrid’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Konate, Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold

Midfielders: Federico Valverde, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni

Forwards: Yan Diomande, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe