Mourinho’s Return to Real Madrid: Squad Challenges Ahead

A new Real Madrid season. A familiar name on the bench. And a squad list that already tells its own story.

José Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Los Blancos officially begins this weekend with an opening-day trip to RCD Espanyol, and the club have confirmed the travelling group for the first fixture of the 2026/27 La Liga campaign.

It is not at full strength.

Mourinho’s Madrid hit by early injury problems

The build-up to Mourinho’s return to competitive action has been clouded by fitness setbacks across the squad. Key figures Rodrygo, Éder Militão and Raúl Asencio are all sidelined with long-term issues, stripping Madrid of firepower in attack and stability at the back before a ball has been kicked in the league.

The problems do not end there.

Aurélien Tchouaméni and Endrick have also been left out of the travelling party for the clash at the RCDE Stadium. Both have recently struggled with fitness complaints and, with a long season ahead, the decision has been taken not to risk either the midfielder or the young attacker on Saturday.

For a coach who thrives on control and structure, Mourinho walks into a campaign already needing to improvise.

Academy faces step into the light

The absences open the door for the club’s academy to step into the frame. Included in the squad are Mario Rivas, Jorge Cestero and Alexis Ciria, three youngsters handed the chance to experience the first-team environment under one of the game’s most demanding managers.

It is a clear signal of how stretched the senior options are, but also a glimpse of the next generation Real Madrid hope to bring through as Mourinho begins this new chapter.

The stage is set in Barcelona. The squad is named. Now comes the real question: how quickly can Mourinho mould this patched-together group into a side that looks like Real Madrid on his terms?