Real Madrid Name Their XI Without Vinícius Jr. as Sevilla Visit the Bernabéu

Real Madrid and Sevilla have confirmed identical 4-2-3-1 shapes for tonight's LaLiga fixture at the Estadio Bernabéu, and the team sheets settle the biggest question hanging over the home side: how Xabi Alonso's midfield and front line are configured with Vinícius Jr. unavailable.

Andrés Lopez, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Dean Huijsen and Endrick all start. That is five names carrying distinct jobs in the same XI — a ball-progressing full-back profile in Lopez, a creative No.10 in Güler, the double-pivot anchor in Tchouaméni, a young centre-back in Huijsen, and Endrick leading the line.

Madrid line up 4-2-3-1. Tchouaméni sits at the base of the double pivot, screening the back four and dictating the first pass out. Güler operates in the pocket behind Endrick, the zone where Madrid will try to break Sevilla's midfield line. Huijsen partners in central defence, and Lopez's positioning on the flank shapes how Madrid build.

Without Vinícius Jr., the left-side thrust that usually pins opposing right-backs is gone. The selection points to a more central, Güler-led creation model rather than the isolation-and-drive pattern Vinícius provides. Endrick's role becomes the reference point: hold the ball, occupy both centre-backs, and let Güler and the wide runners arrive late.

Sevilla match the 4-2-3-1. That symmetry matters. Neither side gets a structural mismatch for free; the game tilts on which double pivot controls the middle and which No.10 finds space between the lines first. Tchouaméni against Sevilla's pivot is the hinge.

Madrid's XI leans on youth and control rather than pure wide threat. Huijsen and Lopez starting together signals Alonso is comfortable with a younger defensive and build-up unit in a fixture Madrid are expected to dominate territorially. The risk is transition: if Sevilla's front four press Tchouaméni and cut the pass into Güler, Madrid's central creation route narrows.

Endrick starting ahead of a more experienced option puts the finishing burden on a striker who thrives on service into the box. Güler's ability to deliver that service — from open play and set pieces — is the single biggest variable in Madrid's attacking output tonight.

Sevilla's matching shape suggests they will not sit in a deep block by default. A 4-2-3-1 against a 4-2-3-1 creates man-for-man duels across midfield, and Sevilla's best path is to win those duels and spring forward before Madrid's pivot resets. If they can isolate Huijsen or drag Lopez out of position, the away side has a route.

Madrid enter this fixture chasing the top of the table, and dropped points at home against a top-five Sevilla side would tighten the gap at the wrong end of the autumn schedule. Sevilla arrive in fifth, and a result at the Bernabéu would be the kind of statement that reshapes how the top four is viewed.

The team sheets are in. Both managers have chosen control over chaos: identical shapes, mirrored pivots, and a shared bet that the No.10s — Güler for Madrid, his counterpart for Sevilla — will decide where the space opens. Kick-off at the Bernabéu will show which pivot blinks first.