Real Madrid hope captain will resume group training tomorrow and be ready for Villarreal

Real Madrid are preparing for their upcoming La Liga fixture against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu following the international break. Forward Kylian Mbappe returned to group training under manager Jose Mourinho after nursing a recent knee problem, positioning him to feature this weekend as Madrid aim to close the gap on league leaders Barcelona.

International players including Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold also rejoined the squad, working individually alongside Federico Valverde and Marc Cucurella. Real Madrid are taking a cautious approach with player recoveries ahead of matchweek eight, where they sit fourth in the league table with 15 points.