Mourinho welcomes back full-strength defence

Real Madrid's next challenge is to overcome Mallorca in La Liga in three days' time. The fact that the team does not have another league game during the following week and the international break means that José Mourinho will not be forced into rotating his squad.

Mourinho will have the privilege of selecting a full-strength defence. Three defenders were rested for Real's league match at Celta de Vigo on Sunday, after the team's hard-fought victory at Old Trafford. Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao were the players left out and all three could return to the starting-eleven this Saturday. Álvaro Arbeloa, the other first-team regular, did travel to the Balaídos stadium, but was left on the bench.

The only change in defence could be the inclusion of Pepe, who is in the process getting more games under his belt and returning to form. The Portuguese had been an undisputed regular in the back-four until recently when he was displaced by Varane.