Jose Mourinho has effectively frozen out the injured Ferland Mendy for the foreseeable future, demoting him to third-choice left-back at Real Madrid behind Marc Cucurella and Alvaro Carreras.

The Frenchman has been sidelined since the back end of last season, having undergone surgery on the rectus femoris of his right leg.

By contrast, new arrival Sergio Martinez has secured his place among the 35 registered players. Although the former Racing midfielder initially seemed destined for Castilla, Mourinho drafted him in to train with the first team and even named him in the matchday squad to face Real Betis.

Ahead of their opening clash against Inter Milan, Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva are all serving carry-over suspensions from last season, whilst Tchouameni and Pitarch remain on the sidelines through injury. Their absences make the young midfielder's presence in the squad all the more vital.

Real Madrid squad for the 2026-27 Champions League

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Sergio Mestre and Javi Navarro.

Defenders: Raul Asencio, Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella, Alvaro Carreras, Antonio Rudiger, Denzel Dumfries, Mario Rivas, Joan Martinez and Jesus Fortea.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, Brahim Diaz, Thiago Pitarch, Cestero, Villalba, Valero and Sergio Martinez.

Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Carlos Espi, Yan Diomande and Yanez.

S. Martínez

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