Cucurella Injury Concerns After Madrid's First Defeat

Madrid’s first defeat of the season came with an unwelcome sting in the tail.

Not only did Real Betis halt their unbeaten start, the closing minutes brought a fresh worry for José Mourinho as Cucurella limped out, casting doubt over his involvement in a crucial European week.

Cucurella scare as cramps cut short his night

Cucurella, who has recently nailed down the starting left-back spot ahead of Alvaro Carreras, was withdrawn late on, raising immediate fears of another addition to Madrid’s already swollen absentee list.

Mourinho moved quickly to cool the anxiety. “Carreras coming on for Cucurella due to cramps,” he told reporters after the loss, stressing it was a precaution driven by fatigue rather than a clear injury.

Even so, the timing is brutal. The Spanish World Cup winner now has only a narrow window to recover before Madrid’s Champions League opener, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that his availability for midweek remains in the balance.

Injury list grows as suspensions bite

Cucurella’s scare lands on top of a mounting selection crisis.

• Aurelien Tchouameni
• Eder Militao
• Rodrygo
• Ferland Mendy
• Endrick

are all in the treatment room. The staff still hold out hope that Tchouameni or Rodrygo might make it back in time, but neither is a certainty.

The problems do not stop there. Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are all suspended, stripping Mourinho of options in midfield and attack just as the season begins to harden.

The combined absences leave Madrid stretched across the pitch: a patched-up defence, a compromised midfield, and fewer weapons in the final third. Every training session now carries extra risk and extra tension.

High stakes before Inter clash

Madrid will return to training on Sunday with little time to dwell on the Betis defeat. Preparation starts immediately for Tuesday’s Champions League showdown with Inter Milan, a fixture that has suddenly taken on a sharper edge.

The domestic loss has raised the stakes. Dropping points at home is one thing; stumbling out of the blocks in Europe against a club of Inter’s stature would send a different kind of message entirely.

Mourinho will use the next sessions to test Cucurella’s condition, weighing the risk of starting his first-choice left-back against the danger of losing him for longer. If the defender does not come through, Carreras is poised to step into the XI for a tie that already feels like an early-season examination of Madrid’s depth, resilience, and nerve.