Why Is Trent Alexander-Arnold Not Playing Tonight for Sevilla vs Real Madrid?

Real Madrid travel to face Sevilla FC in a La Liga clash as the 2025/26 season nears its end. Real Madrid has little left to fight for in the league after Barcelona secured the title with a win in El Clásico.

Sevilla, meanwhile, are still battling to avoid relegation and need points from their remaining games. They have shown consistency recently, winning four of their last six matches.

For this game, Álvaro Arbeloa has opted to put Kylian Mbappé in the starting XI following his recent comments about being considered the fourth-choice striker.

"Arbeloa told me I was the team's fourth-choice striker, I have to accept it," Mbappé said last week.

Vinícius Júnior also starts alongside Mbappé, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has been left on the bench for this match.

Why Is Trent Alexander-Arnold Not Playing Tonight?

Trent Alexander-Arnold is on the bench for Real Madrid's match against Sevilla tonight, as manager Álvaro Arbeloa has chosen to start veteran right-back Dani Carvajal ahead of him.

With Barcelona having already secured the La Liga title, Real Madrid essentially have no competitive objectives left in their final two domestic games of the season.

Because the 34-year-old Carvajal is expected to leave the club when his contract expires this summer, Arbeloa chose to award the veteran a start over Alexander-Arnold to give him a proper send-off.

Also, with the World Cup just weeks away, many of Real Madrid's core stars are prioritizing fitness and avoiding unnecessary injury risks.

Having dealt with a few lingering issues earlier in the season, managing Alexander-Arnold's minutes now keeps him fresh after recently earning a recall to Thomas Tuchel's preliminary England squad.

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 11:35 AM.