Manchester traveled to join the squad, but despite being named in the lineup, he did not make it to the bench during the match. Raúl Asencio was also absent, having recovered from the muscular issues that prevented him from traveling, and Carreras, whose return was postponed until the Santiago Bernabéu derby after overcoming a muscular injury in his calf. With the absences of injured players Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo Goes, Arbeloa finalized the preparations for his first match against Atlético Madrid in charge of the first team. After starting with a video and a warm-up in the gym, on the pitch and after rondos with cameras present, the closed-door session allowed him to draw conclusions about his players' condition in a match. The Madrid players worked on their accuracy in shooting drills, and Andriy Lunin tested his reflexes before enjoying a starting role against Atlético Madrid due to Courtois's muscular injury. Real Madrid concluded their preparation for the Madrid derby with a morning session at the Valdebebas sports city, where Jude Bellingham, Raúl Asencio, and Álvaro Carreras confirmed their availability to face Atlético Madrid. The match will be missed by injured players Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo Goes. With the good atmosphere installed by Real Madrid's recent results, stringing together four consecutive wins to keep their options alive in La Liga and eliminate Manchester City from the Champions League, the players available to Álvaro Arbeloa completed the final weekly training session ahead of the derby. With Frenchman Kylian Mbappé prepared to start again, a month having passed since the last time in the defeat at El Sadar against Osasuna, the focus is on the Englishman Bellingham's condition, as well as on the defenders Asencio and Carreras. The three joined the squad and showed Arbeloa they are fit to be called up. Arbeloa already confirmed in a press conference that Bellingham, who was absent for a month and a half due to a muscular tear in the left leg's semitendinosus, is ready to get back to playing minutes.
