Racing Santander v Real Madrid: LaLiga 2026-27 Round 11 preview, team news and prediction

Newly promoted Racing Santander will host Real Madrid at Campos de Sport de El Sardinero in Santander in round 11 of the LaLiga 2026-27 season. The meeting pairs a team fighting to consolidate its top-flight return with one of the division’s leading sides.

Racing arrive off a 2-1 win over Espanyol in their previous fixture, a result that the article says led to the sacking of Manolo Gonzalez. In 10 LaLiga matches this season they have recorded three wins, two draws and five defeats, and the club’s formline in all competitions is listed as W-L-D-L-L. The preview notes Racing have been tactically outclassed by Barcelona and Celta Vigo in recent heavy losses but will aim for an upset against Real Madrid despite an unfavourable head-to-head record.

Real Madrid’s recent run is presented as strong, with a five-match sequence of wins in all competitions recorded as W-W-W-W-W. Jose Mourinho is credited with guiding Los Blancos to a 1-2 victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, a result described as important that leaves them three points behind their rival. The piece adds that, despite being dominated in that match, Madrid used a Mourinho-style approach to make things difficult for Barcelona.

Racing’s attacking threat is highlighted in the profile of Zabiri, described as a young Moroccan international on loan from Rennes who has scored eight goals in 10 LaLiga appearances and picked up four yellow cards. Simon Eriksson is reported as unavailable for the home side, with the rest of Racing’s squad described as fit, and the article gives the projected Racing starting XI as: Agirrezabala (GK); Mantilla, Ramón, Belocian, Salinas; I.Martín, Prati; Martín, Canales, Vicente; Zabiri.

Real Madrid’s attacking focal point in the preview is Mbappe, noted as the Frenchman who finished second in the recent Ballon d’Or behind Harry Kane by a very small margin, scored twice in the El Clasico victory, and has 11 goals so far this season to sit as the league’s second-highest scorer. The write-up states Mbappe suits Mourinho’s style and "will be confident to score more goals in the upcoming clashes." It also lists fitness issues: Rodrygo is "still recovering from his ACL tear," Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are "all are injured," and Thibaut Courtois and Federico Valverde are described as doubtful for the match.

The preview supplies a projected Real Madrid line-up as: Lunin (GK); Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Guler, Tchouameni Silva; Bellingham; Mbappe, Diomande. The article states Los Blancos will be very confident going into the match and will expect a good result away from home.

The clash will be shown in the United States on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, with FanCode listed as the live broadcaster in India. The published prediction in the preview is Racing Santander 1-3 Real Madrid.