7 min

Leipzig at the Bernabéu as Vinícius returns and the Sevilla row rumbles on

Sifat Jasim

Wed, Oct 21, 2026

Leipzig at the Bernabéu as Vinícius returns and the Sevilla row rumbles on

Mourinho's Madrid host RB Leipzig on Wednesday hoping to keep their perfect Champions League run going, with Vinícius back in the squad. Plus the referee fallout from Sevilla, Mbappé's Onze d'Or and the youth side's big night.

Leipzig next, and the perfect run on the line

It is Champions League week again, and on Wednesday RB Leipzig come to the Bernabéu for matchday three, with kick-off at 21:00 local time. Madrid have won everything so far in this European campaign, and the club is clear that the aim is to keep that perfect record going. The Romanian referee István Kovács will take charge.

The big squad news is Vinícius. He is serving a four-match LaLiga ban after his red card against Villarreal, but he is free to play in Europe and is back on the list. Asencio and Rodrygo are still out injured. Mendy is fit but is not registered for the Champions League, so he misses out as well. The team finished their final training session on Tuesday morning without any new problems.

José Mourinho was in typical form at Valdebebas. Asked whether Vinícius is untouchable, he said the only untouchable thing is the badge, and that players earn their place with how they perform on the pitch. Asked where Fede Valverde and Arda Güler play best, he said simply: on the pitch. He also warned that a lot of points will be needed to avoid the playoff round in this league format.

Ibrahima Konaté faces his old club and spoke to the media before the game. He said the squad want to win the first three matches and finish in the top eight. He also linked this game to the next one: a win against Leipzig, in his view, would send Madrid into El Clásico in better shape. Konaté and Yan Diomande are both products of Leipzig's famous talent pipeline, and both now wear white.

On the other bench, Leipzig coach Martín Demichelis said Mourinho inspires respect and wisdom. He returns to the stadium where he lost the 2010 Champions League final to Mourinho's Inter. He said facing this team will demand total concentration. He also praised Franco Mastantuono, whom he gave a debut at 16 at River Plate, calling him a player made for Real Madrid. Leipzig have had an up-and-down start: three wins and three defeats in six league games, with 27 goals scored and conceded combined. That suggests open games, chances at both ends and a defence that can be got at.

The Sevilla fallout continues

Sunday's 4-1 win over Sevilla is still dominating the debate in Spain. Two incidents are at the centre of it:

Arda Güler was not sent off for an alleged elbow on Peque before he opened the scoring.
Konaté appeared to hold Robbie Ure in the build-up to Mbappé's goal.

The refereeing committee (CTA) has reportedly told Sevilla that Konaté did commit a foul. On the Güler incident, it said the VAR could not step in because the action happened off the ball, behind the referee, and none of the suitable cameras had caught it. Sevilla have now lodged a formal complaint about the television coverage and are disputing the explanations they were given. Konaté was asked about it and said he is here to play football. With El Clásico around the corner, expect this to run for a while.

Mbappé crowned with the Onze d'Or

Some proper good news: Kylian Mbappé has been given the Onze d'Or award as the best player of the 2025-26 season. The club confirmed the honour, and it is well deserved.

Super League bill

According to The Athletic, Madrid want the six English clubs that signed up to the Super League in 2021 to pay their share of the project's early costs. The club's argument, as reported, is that those clubs are still obligated despite pulling out. This is a report rather than a club statement, so treat it with some caution for now.

Around the club

Youth League: The Juvenil A also face Leipzig and are going for a third win in this season's competition. The game is live on Realmadrid TV. Yáñez is set to become the academy player with the most Youth League appearances in the club's history.
Arda's crosses: Last week's comeback against Roma owed a lot to Güler's delivery. Two of his corners ended up as assists.
Camavinga: He has not started a game since returning from international duty and has played only around 25 minutes in that time.
Basketball: The basketball side travel to Maccabi on Thursday in the EuroLeague and are already preparing for the trip.
Off the pitch: Florentino Pérez met River Plate president Matías Patanian, strengthening a long relationship between the two clubs. The Bernabéu also hosted a Luis de Carlos Forum in tribute to Raimundo Saporta.

Sources

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