{
  "id": 1663562,
  "title": "Mourinho’s pre-season hints reveal potential Real Madrid starting XI for 2026/27 season",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/mourinhos-pre-season-hints-reveal-potential-real-madrid-starting-xi",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T07:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mourinho-pre-season-hints-reveal-072000939.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jose Mourinho's pre-season has been successful in revealing his potential starting lineup for Real Madrid's 2026/27 season. With the club's management supporting him, Mourinho has brought in six new players to bolster the squad. Although the team's formation is expected to be a 4-2-3-1, several positions are still undecided, such as central defense, right-back and the double pivot. However, the attack seems to be the clearest part of the lineup.\n\nThe starting lineup is expected to feature Vinicius Junior on the left flank, Yan Diomande on the right, Jude Bellingham playing as the No. 10, and Kylian Mbappe in the middle. Although these four players have not started together yet, Mourinho's intentions are clear. Bellingham will be positioned behind Mbappe, while Vinicius and Diomande will provide width and direct running from the flanks.\n\nThe double pivot remains a bit of a mystery, with Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, and Aurelien Tchouameni being the leading candidates for the two midfield spots. However, Tchouameni is currently sidelined due to a muscular overload. Defensive positions are also uncertain, with Marc Cucurella expected to be the first-choice left-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries competing for the right-back position, and Dean Huijsen set to start in defense. The center-back position is also up for grabs, with Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, and Raul Asencio all vying for the starting spot.",
  "summary": "Jose Mourinho has had an excellent pre-season upon his return to Real Madrid, managing to instil numerous ideas over the past few weeks.The Portuguese tactician has been excellently backed by the boar...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}