Cucurella Injury Worries Ahead of Champions League Opener
Madrid’s first defeat of the season came with a sting in the tail – and a worrying one for José Mourinho.
Cucurella scare clouds Champions League build-up
Beaten by Real Betis and stripped of their unbeaten record, Madrid also saw Marc Cucurella limp off late on, just days before their Champions League opener against Inter Milan.
Cucurella has recently nailed down the left-back spot, pushing Alvaro Carreras to the bench and becoming Mourinho’s trusted option on that flank. So when he signalled to come off in the closing stages, alarms rang instantly on the Madrid bench.
Mourinho moved quickly to calm the noise after the final whistle. He insisted the change was not forced by a serious problem but by fatigue.
“Carreras coming on for Cucurella due to cramps,” he told reporters, framing the decision as a precaution rather than a crisis.
Even so, the timing is brutal. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the issue is not considered serious, but the turnaround is tight. The recent World Cup winner now has only a narrow window to recover before Madrid step back onto the European stage on Tuesday.
Injury list grows as suspensions bite
Cucurella’s scare drops into an already crowded treatment room.
- Aurelien Tchouameni
- Eder Militao
- Rodrygo
- Ferland Mendy
- Endrick
are all currently sidelined with injuries, stripping depth from every line of Mourinho’s squad. Inside the club, there is still some optimism: staff hope that Tchouameni or Rodrygo might make it back in time to play a part against Inter.
The problems do not end there. Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are all suspended, leaving Mourinho short of creativity, control, and balance in key areas. Across defence, midfield, and attack, options are shrinking fast.
Madrid will return to the training pitch on Sunday to start specific preparations for their Champions League opener. Every session now doubles as a fitness test, with Cucurella’s condition under particular scrutiny.
High stakes against Inter
Inter Milan at home was always going to be a serious examination. After the domestic setback against Betis, it has become something more: an early-season test of nerve.
Madrid cannot afford another blow, not in Europe, not with this squad stretched to its limits. Mourinho will wait as long as he can before locking in his squad list, tracking every sign of recovery from his left-back.
If Cucurella does not make it, the plan is clear. Carreras, the man who replaced him against Betis, will be thrust straight into the starting XI for a pivotal European night.
For Madrid, the question now is simple: can a patched-up, suspended-hit squad still look like a Mourinho team when the Champions League anthem hits on Tuesday?
