Endrick, Real Madrid player
Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images
Real Madrid are set to welcome Real Sociedad to the Santiago Bernabeu for their first La Liga home game of the season.
Los Blancos are coming into this game with a 2-1 win against Espanyol behind them and will be hoping to put in a more cohesive performance against the Basque side.
Jose Mourinho will be without both Aurelien Tchouameni and Endrick against Sociedad, with the duo ruled out with injuries.
According to Diario AS, both players are following specific individual plans designed to prevent any relapse.
Madrid prioritising complete recoveries
The key point is that their continued absence is being treated as part of a controlled process rather than an attempt to rush either player back into Mourinho’s squad.
Tchouameni and Endrick have remained away from normal group work as Real Madrid carefully manage their respective recoveries.
Urko Gonzalez de Zarate, Espanyol player
Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni is struggling with an issue since the World Cup. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
The objective is for both players to return only when they are physically ready to handle the demands of competitive football without increasing the possibility of another setback.
The cautious approach is understandable. The season has only just begun and Madrid have a long campaign ahead.
There is little to no value in accelerating a comeback for one league fixture and potentially losing the player for a long period.
Madrid have been guilty of rushing players back in recent seasons, which has seen injuries accumulate across the squad.
It looks like Jose Mourinho has learned a thing or two from the same and does not want to be in a position where he faces a similar injury crisis.
Jose Mourinho will have to wait
Tchouameni’s absence is particularly notable because Madrid are still working out the ideal structure of their midfield under Mourinho.
Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde started together in deeper roles against Espanyol, while Eduardo Camavinga provides another option.
Tchouameni, however, offers a more natural defensive presence at the base of midfield and could give Mourinho a different solution once fully fit.
Against a team like Real Sociedad who try to play through their opposition, the Frenchman’s presence might have been helpful for Mourinho.
Carlos Espi, Real Madrid player
Carlos Espi and Endrick could compete for minutes behind Kylian Mbappe. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Endrick faces a different challenge given the competition in attack. Kylian Mbappe is the first-choice striker up front, while new signing Carlos Espi has strengthened his case for minutes by scoring the winner against Espanyol.
The route to minutes is much more difficult for the Brazilian than it is for the French midfield star, but both will have to wait for their rehabilitation to be completed properly before they return to the pitch.
Once they recover and return to full fitness, both players could have important roles to play for Jose Mourinho, and it remains to be seen how the club handle their fitness in the coming weeks.
Real Sociedad defender names the Real Madrid star who is harder to stop: ‘If I had to choose one…’
Jon Martin of Real Sociedad
Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images
Jon Martin is preparing for another demanding visit to the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Real Sociedad centre-back fully aware of the attacking quality Real Madrid can throw at him.
The 20-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most talented young Spanish central defenders in La Liga.
He had an excellent 2025-26 season that caught everyone’s attention and will be hoping to build on it for the Basque club.
Speaking to MARCA ahead of the clash, the 20-year-old discussed Jose Mourinho’s Madrid, the challenge of defending Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, and his admiration for Carlos Espi.
Martin expects a difficult night at the Bernabeu
The Sociedad defender did not attempt to hide the challenge that awaited him and his team at the Bernabeu.
“Real Madrid are Real Madrid, one of the best teams, and they are always difficult to face, especially at home at the Bernabeu, where the matches are always special,” Martin said.
He then had some words on Jose Mourinho, the returning Madrid manager.
“I usually focus on understanding what the coach I’m facing tends to propose. I know he is obviously a legend there and he will make it a very difficult match for us,” he explained.
Jon Martin of Real Sociedad
Jon Martin is ready to take on Real Madrid. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Martin already knows the Bernabeu well despite his age, having visited four times across different competitions.
“The first few times you go onto a pitch like that and face a team like Madrid, it gives you a little respect. But once the match starts, all of that disappears and you focus on what happens on the pitch,” he revealed.
Carlos Espi earns praise
The defender also discussed Madrid’s summer spending and singled out Carlos Espi, whom he already knows from Spain’s youth teams and from facing him at Levante.
“I know Espi from the national youth categories and from playing against him last year. I think he is a great player and also a great person,” he said.
Espi made the headlines after scoring Madrid’s winning goal against Espanyol in their first La Liga encounter.
Despite not being a starter, the Spaniard has shown that he has the quality to change games from the bench, which is exactly what Los Blancos would want from him.
Mbappe gets the edge over Vinicius
Martin was also asked who is harder to stop between Mbappe and Vinicius.
“Both are difficult,” he said.
Jon Martin, Real Sociedad player
Jon Martin picks Mbappe as Real Madrid’s biggest threat. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
“If I had to choose one, I would probably say Mbappe because he plays closer to me, more as a striker, and because of the space and his one-on-one ability,” he continued.
He also acknowledged the depth of Madrid’s attack.
“Real Madrid fight for La Liga and for every trophy, so they have to have players of that level,” he concluded.
Martin’s words are exactly what Mourinho’s team are dreaming of this season, which is bringing all possible silverware back to the Bernabeu.
Two trophyless seasons at Madrid are almost unacceptable, and there is a reason Florentino Perez has gone all out in appointing Jose Mourinho and making all the signings this summer.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have established an era of dominance domestically in the last couple of seasons, and there is no manager better suited than Mourinho to uproot it.
It remains to be seen how Madrid play this season and whether they are able to displace Barça and reclaim the domestic honours in the coming months.