Real Madrid Prepares for Schalke Friendly Before La Liga
Real Madrid head to Germany on Sunday for one last dress rehearsal before the real thing begins.
Mourinho’s side face Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen on August 16, their final pre-season friendly before La Liga starts with a trip to Espanyol on August 22. It’s the last chance to test ideas, to see new faces in white, and to gauge who is truly ready for the grind of the season.
Mourinho’s new Madrid takes shape
On Sunday, Real Madrid will finally get a first look at three of their summer signings in match conditions. Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate are all available and yet to make their debuts for the club. Germany offers a clean stage.
Kylian Mbappe could join them. The French forward has only just returned to training after his post-World Cup break, but he is in contention to make his first appearance under Jose Mourinho. A cameo, a start, or simply a place on the bench – any involvement will be scrutinised.
The friendly might be labelled “pre-season,” but the decisions Mourinho makes here will echo into Barcelona next week.
Bellingham and Tchouameni in limbo
The biggest doubts surround two players who are expected to be pillars of Mourinho’s project.
Jude Bellingham returned to training on Wednesday. Now the call rests with Mourinho: risk him in Germany or hold him back for Espanyol? The plan is clear. Bellingham will be moved back into his natural habitat, as an attacking midfielder operating just behind the centre-forward, where his timing and aggression between the lines can hurt teams.
Aurelien Tchouameni is walking a similar tightrope. The French midfielder is recovering from a minor muscular issue and is tipped to be ready for the league opener. Whether he features against Schalke is far less certain.
When fully fit, Tchouameni will be thrown into a fierce fight for minutes in the double pivot, up against Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga. For now, though, his status for Sunday is simply: wait and see.
Injury list grows, six to stay home
Some absences are already locked in.
- Raul Asencio
- Ferland Mendy
- Rodrygo
- Thiago Pitarch
- Eder Militao
will all remain in Madrid as they continue to recover from injuries. None will travel to Germany; their work will be done in the gym and on the training pitches at Valdebebas.
Endrick has joined them on the unavailable list. The Brazilian has suffered a muscle overload and is also expected to miss the Schalke game.
Mourinho will be hoping that Endrick, Bellingham and Tchouameni all make it back in time for Espanyol. The season will not wait for anyone.
A historic summer in La Fabrica
While the first team packs for Germany, the academy is living through a very different kind of summer.
Real Madrid’s youth system has seen a steady stream of exits in recent weeks, and the flow shows no sign of stopping. The next big move is expected to be Jacobo Ortega’s transfer to Strasbourg, a deal that would make him the most expensive sale of a Real Madrid academy player yet to appear for the first team.
And he is not alone.
According to AS, Manuel Angel and David Jimenez are also poised to leave, effectively closing their chapters at Castilla. Interest in the pair stretches across the top flight, the second division and beyond, but no agreement has yet been finalised.
Both players have been training separately and have been deliberately kept out of Castilla’s pre-season friendlies and matchday squads. The message is clear: no risks, no injuries, no complications before their futures are settled.
Once Ortega’s sale and other outgoing deals are added up, Real Madrid expect their academy income this summer to surpass €200 million. Inside the club, the window is already being described as historic.
Two standouts on the move
These aren’t fringe names being quietly pushed out.
Manuel Angel and David Jimenez were central figures in Alvaro Arbeloa’s treble-winning academy generation, alongside Nico Paz and Gonzalo Garcia. They were supposed to be the next wave. Now they are the next sales.
Manuel Angel, 22, is a cerebral midfielder who joined La Fabrica in 2014 and has long been viewed as one of the most refined talents at Valdebebas. Comfortable with both feet, calm under pressure, he even broke into the first team last season, making seven appearances. The priority for him now is simple: find a club that will give him regular minutes.
David Jimenez offers a different profile. An attacking full-back with one of the most highly rated right feet in the academy, he has been praised for his leadership and his aggressive, forward-thinking style. Comparisons to Dani Carvajal have followed him for years. Like Manuel Angel, he also tasted first-team action last season, impressing under both Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa.
For both players, the next step is crucial. Real Madrid, the footballers and their entourages are waiting for the right offer, the right project, the right promise of opportunity.
The first team heads to Gelsenkirchen looking for answers before La Liga begins. The academy products wait for phone calls that will define their careers. One club, two very different battles – and a season that is already starting to take shape.
