José Mourinho has named his Real Madrid squad for AEK Athens Vs Real Madrid on Wednesday at 18:45, and the headline is a simple one: five players are unavailable for the Champions League trip to Greece.
At the fourth day of the Champions League, the away fixture arrives with Real Madrid already having to manage a reduced group. The missing names reshape the options available to Mourinho before a difficult night on the road.
Five absences change the picture
The most notable omission is Ferland Mendy, who was not registered with UEFA at the start of the season. That leaves Real Madrid without one of the players who would normally be part of the conversation for a match of this type.
The squad also includes other absences, with five Real Madrid players missing in total. Before the match, Mourinho made the decision clear by unveiling a list that leaves fewer solutions for the visit to AEK Athènes.
Vinicius Junior remains available for Europe
One important point for Real Madrid is that Vinicius Junior is still eligible for the Champions League. He was suspended in Liga, but that does not affect his European availability, so he remains an option for this fixture in Greece.
That distinction matters because a team travelling away in the Champions League often needs its most decisive attackers available. For Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior can still be part of the answer even with five absentees on the list.
With Mourinho having already set out the squad, the focus now turns to how Real Madrid handle the challenge at AEK Athens Vs Real Madrid. The absences are confirmed, the options are reduced, and the Champions League test arrives on Wednesday at 18:45.
