Real Madrid Injury Update Ahead of Betis Clash
Real Madrid head to Seville on Friday night with their early-season swagger intact and a perfect La Liga record on the line, but with a medical bulletin that still demands careful management.
Three games, three wins, nine points. The 4-0 dismantling of Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu underlined the power of this new-look Madrid: Jude Bellingham dictating, Kylian Mbappe exploding into space, Arda Guler gliding through lines. All three scored, all three looked sharp. Yet as they prepare for Real Betis, who were dragged back to earth by a 5-2 defeat to Levante after opening with two victories, Jose Mourinho’s biggest decisions may come from the treatment room, not the tactics board.
Tchouameni edging closer
Aurelien Tchouameni has yet to kick a ball this season, his campaign stalled by a muscle problem. The French midfielder is now closing in on a return and is listed as a minor doubt for the trip to Betis, with a possible comeback pencilled in for September 4.
Mourinho, though, is not in the mood to gamble. With Madrid already in stride and a long season stretching ahead, he is reluctant to take risks with Tchouameni’s fitness. A place on the bench looks more realistic than a full-blooded return to the starting XI.
Endrick waiting for his first taste
Endrick is in a similar bracket: close, but not quite over the line. The Brazilian has missed the first three league fixtures with a muscular issue, but there is now a genuine possibility he could be involved in a matchday squad for the first time this season against Betis.
For a fanbase eager to see him in competitive action, that alone will sharpen the anticipation. Whether Mourinho trusts him with minutes in a tight away game is another matter entirely.
Long-term absentees still out of the picture
The rest of Madrid’s injury list tells a harsher story.
Eder Militao remains sidelined with the hamstring injury he suffered against Alaves on April 21. The centre-back is making progress, but a return before the first international break of the season is considered unlikely. The defensive rotation will have to cope without him a little longer.
Rodrygo’s outlook is even more severe. The forward is expected to be out until the early stages of 2027 after sustaining a serious knee injury in March. His absence strips Madrid of another proven attacking option at a time when the front line is being reshaped around Mbappe and Bellingham.
Raul Asencio’s situation is more complicated than it first appeared. Initially missing the start of the campaign with a quadricep problem, the defender has recovered from that issue only to pick up a separate injury in the same leg. There is now a real risk he will require surgery, which would trigger a rehabilitation spell of six to eight weeks and delay any chance of him forcing his way into Mourinho’s plans after summer exit rumours.
Ferland Mendy is effectively ruled out of the picture for the foreseeable future. A thigh injury is set to keep the left-back sidelined until the latter stages of 2026, removing a seasoned option from the defensive pool and forcing Madrid to lean on alternatives on the flank.
Thiago Pitarch, who saw his pre-season wrecked almost immediately, is also still on the comeback trail. The midfielder suffered a knee injury at the start of his first training session of the summer. He is now back working with the ball on the training pitch, but there is no clear timeline for when he will be ready for competitive action.
Clean on the discipline front
If the injury sheet is crowded, the disciplinary column is blissfully empty. Real Madrid have no players suspended for Friday’s clash, giving Mourinho one less headache as he pieces together his squad for a tricky away assignment.
Perfect start, bruised squad, no bans. The question now is simple: can this version of Madrid keep winning while key pieces slowly fight their way back to the stage?
