Marc Cucurella will make his first start for Real Madrid in a competitive game when they host Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will be eager to build on a winning start in La Liga when they welcome Real Sociedad to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Jose Mourinho has no new issues to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Eder Militao (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), Raul Asencio (muscle), Thiago Pitarch (knee), Endrick (muscle), and Rodrygo (cruciate ligament) remain in the treatment room. Mendy and Rodrygo are long-term absentees for Los Blancos.
While Aurelien Tchouameni has resumed training, he does not have the required fitness to be involved yet, with Mourinho excluding him from the matchday squad. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, the Portuguese tactician did not provide fitness updates on any player, but discussed the topic of match load in the wake of FIFA World Cup 2026 involvement.
The Real Madrid manager said, “Without taking away the merit that Espanyol deserves for their match, one thing that made the difference is that they are a team without players in the World Cup, who have worked together and played a lot of friendlies, and who presented themselves with a level of intensity that we don’t have.”
“The most important case, even though it’s a game-changer from a physical standpoint, is Jude. You saw it. At a moment when we needed to score and were tied, I couldn’t keep him on the pitch any longer. Obviously, there is a difference, but we also have a base structure with players who have worked longer and are in a better fitness level.”
“After that, playing also does good, and that’s why you have to manage well between not playing too much and not playing at all. For example, I brought Cucu on the pitch thinking he could bring us something, as he did, but obviously, he has about 30-35 minutes to give, which is what I gave him. It’s management we do based on objective and scientific data. We have people working at that level. It’s also clear, with my vision, experience, and communication with the players, that there’s something more important, which is the knowledge each player has about themselves.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Real Sociedad on Wednesday. The backline will feature Denzel Dumfries, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, and Marc Cucurella, with Alvaro Carreras dropping to the bench.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde in the double pivot, with Jude Bellingham reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for Los Blancos, with Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler completing the numbers in the offensive unit. So, Yan Diomande will be a backup option on the bench again.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Silva; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe
