The Real Madrid squad for Wednesday’s visit of Real Sociedad has been confirmed, and it contains no late reprieves. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Endrick are both out again, three academy players have been called up to fill the gaps, and José Mourinho will take charge of his first game back at the Santiago Bernabéu with 21 names available to him.
The list was published on the club’s official channels on Tuesday and carried in full by Bernabéu Digital. It is the rescheduled Matchday 1 fixture, pushed back because of Real Madrid’s late World Cup returns, and it follows the 2-1 win at Espanyol that opened the Mourinho era.
The Confirmed Real Madrid Squad In Full
- Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, Mestre
- Defenders: Huijsen, Trent, Konaté, Cucurella, Carreras, Rüdiger, Mario Rivas
- Midfielders: Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Arda Güler, Bernardo Silva, Cestero, Alexis Ciria
- Forwards: Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé, Carlos Espí, Brahim, Yan Diomande
Tchouameni Misses Out Again
The Tchouaméni absence had been coming all day. Madrid Universal, citing MARCA, reported on Tuesday morning that the France midfielder had not trained with the group on the eve of the game, a day after he had rejoined it. That was the tell, and the squad list confirmed it.
Mourinho had already explained the thinking at his press conference. “He’s been through a lot at the World Cup — that’s what the World Cup is like. He gave it his all. He played his heart out in the semi-finals,” he said. “There’s a problem: the player wants to and could have carried on, but we believe he needs to start the season at 100 per cent.”
That is a manager protecting an asset rather than one losing faith in a player. Tchouaméni has been treated as close to untouchable in this midfield, and the same press conference produced Mourinho’s clearest statement yet on how he sees his central players. Endrick, meanwhile, remains out with the problem that ruled him out of the Bernabéu opener earlier this week.
Three From The Academy, And A Growing Treatment Room
With senior options unavailable, Mourinho has again gone downstairs for bodies. Mario Rivas, Jorge Cestero and Alexis Ciria are all included, with Mestre making up the goalkeeping trio. It is a continuation of something the manager promised in his first weeks: he told the club’s academy players that many more of them would get their turn, and one league game into the season that door is still open.
The reason he has to is a treatment room that is filling up quickly for late August. Bernabéu Digital list Ferland Mendy, Thiago Pitarch, Raúl Asencio, Endrick and Tchouaméni alongside Éder Militão, describing the last two as minor knocks that should clear soon and the rest as longer absences.
On Militão there was at least a date. Citing Diario AS, Bernabéu Digital report that the Brazilian — already back training with the ball after a second operation ended his last season early — is expected to return after the international break, with the club’s first fixture on the other side of it being Villarreal on 11 October.
None of which changes the shape of Wednesday. Mourinho has his front four, he has Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva in midfield, and he has a Bernabéu waiting to see him again for the first time in more than 13 years. Kick-off is Wednesday night.
