Mourinho names Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinicius in Real Madrid squad for Elche
Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has named his squad for tonight’s La Liga match against Elche at the Manuel Martínez Valero.
The list includes Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. Madrid go into the game after a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu at the weekend. They sit second in La Liga, three points behind Barcelona after five matches.
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Sergio Mestre. Defenders: Asencio, Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Cucurella, Carreras, Rüdiger, Dumfries. Midfielders: Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Bernardo, Thiago. Forwards: Vinicius, Endrick, Mbappé, C. Espí, Brahim, Yan Diomande.
A squad sheet for Elche is not a final. It is Mourinho showing the depth he is willing to travel with: the established front three, a midfield that can rotate, and full-backs who can push. Second place after five games, three points off Barcelona, means a midweek trip to Elche is a test of whether the Rayo scoreline was control or a one-off. Elche at home will try to make the night tight. Madrid’s bench, on this list, is built to change the game if it stays that way.
Selection still happens at kick-off. What the named group tells supporters is that the manager is not treating the fixture as a rest week for his most expensive attackers. If those names start, the expectation is another result that keeps Barcelona in sight. If they rotate, the expectation is that the rest of the sheet is good enough not to drop points on a ground where dropped points become a story.
