Cucurella Injury Concerns as Madrid Faces Inter Milan

Madrid’s first stumble of the season has come with a sting in the tail.

Beaten by Real Betis for their opening defeat of the campaign, Mourinho’s side also watched one of their most reliable recent performers, Cucurella, limp off in the closing stages to deepen an already mounting selection crisis.

Cucurella scare as cramps cut short his night

Cucurella, who has firmly taken over from Alvaro Carreras as Mourinho’s first-choice left-back, signalled trouble late on and was withdrawn before the final whistle. For a side already stretched, the sight of the Spanish full-back heading off was the last thing Madrid needed.

Mourinho moved quickly to cool any talk of a serious injury. The change, he insisted, was about managing risk, not reacting to damage.

“Carreras coming on for Cucurella due to cramps,” he told reporters after the defeat, framing it as a precaution after signs of fatigue.

Even so, the clock is ticking. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the World Cup winner now has only a narrow window to recover before Madrid’s European campaign begins. Cramps may not sound alarming, but with a midweek Champions League opener looming, every hour of rest and recovery suddenly matters.

Growing injury list tightens Mourinho’s options

Cucurella’s issue threatens to swell an already crowded treatment room. Madrid are juggling a string of absentees at a time when Mourinho would prefer stability and rhythm.

• Aurelien Tchouameni
• Eder Militao
• Rodrygo
• Ferland Mendy
• Endrick

are all sidelined with injuries. The staff still harbour hope that Tchouameni or Rodrygo might make it back in time to contribute, but nothing is guaranteed.

The problems don’t stop there. Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are all out through suspension, stripping Mourinho of creativity, control, and depth in key areas. Across defence, midfield, and attack, the options are thinning.

This is not rotation. It is survival.

High-stakes Inter clash arrives at the wrong time

Madrid return to training on Sunday with little room for gentle adjustment. Preparation for Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan now comes with a layer of urgency that wasn’t in the script a week ago.

The domestic loss to Betis has shifted the mood. Inter were always going to be a serious test; now the game carries added weight. Dropping points in Europe so soon after a first league defeat would crank up the pressure around the squad and the manager.

Mourinho will use the next sessions to gauge Cucurella’s response. If the left-back shows no further issues, he will be pushed towards involvement. If there is any doubt, the risk becomes harder to justify with a long season ahead.

Should Cucurella fall short, Carreras is ready to reclaim the starting role he recently lost. It would be a big night to step back into the firing line, against elite opposition, with Madrid already under scrutiny.

One defeat, a cluster of injuries, suspensions everywhere you look, and Inter on the horizon. For Mourinho and Madrid, the season’s first real stress test has arrived early.