Real Madrid will begin its LaLiga EA Sports season against Espanyol with a shortened squad and a notable youth boost. On Friday, José Mourinho completed the team’s final training session before the league opener and confirmed that Tchouaméni will not be available, while Mario Rivas, Ciria and Cestero will be on the bench.
The absence list is significant. For the Espanyol match, Militao, Rodrygo, Thiago Pitarch, Mendy, Asencio and Endrick remained unavailable, leaving Real Madrid with siete bajas for the first game of the season. That makes the return-to-competition process a real factor in how Mourinho can manage the lineup, especially with several players still working through recovery and conditioning.
Why Tchouaméni is out
Mourinho was clear about the situation: Tchouaméni is “bien,” but he still needs more work to speed up his process and is not ready to play against Espanyol. The message was less about a setback than a timing issue, with the coach stressing that the player needs additional days before he can be used in a match setting.
The broader training context helps explain the decision. Mourinho pointed to the contrast between players with 36 trainings and six matches and others with only five trainings and part of one game. He said the staff has been able to prepare differentiated work for everyone, including individual sessions for players arriving on separate timelines.
Three academy players get their chance
Alongside the absences, the most visible development was the promotion of three canteranos from La Fábrica. Mario Rivas, Ciria and Cestero will be included in the matchday squad, giving Real Madrid an added layer of depth for its first league match of the year.
Mourinho said this is part of a broader effort to motivate the younger players and show that the door is open. He noted that this week belongs to these three, but that many more will get opportunities later. It is a familiar move in an opening-week squad list, but it still matters because it places young players directly into the first-team environment at a moment when Real Madrid is dealing with multiple injuries.
He also suggested that these early decisions can shape the group’s mentality, since some players will start for the first time and others will have to accept the bench for the first time. Those moments, Mourinho said, are part of what the squad has to learn to handle together.
For Real Madrid, the immediate takeaway is simple: the opener against Espanyol will come with missing regulars, but also with a chance for young players to step into the matchday picture. That combination often says as much about the state of a squad as the starting XI itself.
