Mourinho’s back four is set. Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella are his preferred defence for Sunday’s trip to the Metropolitano, with the Dutchman chosen over Alexander-Arnold because he offers the recovery running, aerial strength and defensive intensity Real Madrid expect to need in the derby.
That team sheet is the tell. Alexander-Arnold is Real Madrid’s most creative option at right-back, and Mourinho has left him out for the fixture the coach appears most wary of.
Thirteen years since the wound
The last time Mourinho stood on the touchline in a Madrid derby, Diego Simeone’s Atletico beat him. The 2013 Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu, on 17 May, ended 2-1 in extra time and gave Atletico their first win in a derby against Real Madrid in years. Weeks later, Mourinho was out. The rivalry between the two men had already been sharpened by a run of derbies from 2011 to 2013 that were among the most abrasive matches in recent Spanish football.
Simeone has never left. He has managed Atletico since December 2011, and the club confirmed a contract extension until 2027 in March. The Metropolitano did not exist during Mourinho’s first spell in Madrid, so Sunday will be his first visit to the ground as an opposition manager.
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Mourinho’s second Bernabeu chapter
Mourinho rejoined Real Madrid in June on a three-year deal, brought back by Florentino Perez after the president won re-election. He inherited a squad that had gone through Xabi Alonso and, briefly, Alvaro Arbeloa in a season that ended with no major trophy and Barcelona clinching La Liga at the Bernabeu.
The Portuguese has built his plan for the derby around defensive control at the edge of the penalty area, the zone he considers Real Madrid’s weakest. Aurelien Tchouameni is central to that idea. The France midfielder is being reintroduced step by step after a 73-day injury sustained before France’s match against Paraguay, with Elche in La Liga on Wednesday and Sunday’s trip to Atletico in view.
“He will get more minutes on the pitch, without doubt,” Mourinho said of Tchouameni.
“He keeps improving, becoming stronger and more confident.”
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The 2027 Champions League final will be played at the Metropolitano, and Real Madrid know the road there runs through Simeone at least twice this season, with the return derby scheduled for 4 April 2027. Kick-off on Sunday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is at 4:15pm local time, live on DAZN.
