Militao trains with Real Madrid group again at Valdebebas

Éder Militao joined Real Madrid's available first-team players for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. The Brazilian central defender, now in the final stage of his recovery, took part in a closed training session at Valdebebas while several of his teammates remain away on international duty.

• Militao trains with the group for another day and steps up his return.
• Raúl Asencio, Álvaro Carreras, Rüdiger and Tchouaméni were among the first-team outfield players present.
• Courtois and Lunin worked with the goalkeepers; Rodrygo, Mendy and Valverde continue their recoveries.
• Real Madrid host Villarreal at the Bernabéu on Saturday 10 October.

Militao moves closer to his Real Madrid return

The Brazilian centre-back was once again involved in the group session as he targets a return to action. Militao completed the work set out by the coaching staff, another key step in his push to be available for Carlo Ancelotti as soon as possible. His progress is welcome news for Real Madrid during a break that has left the squad short on numbers.

Raúl Asencio, Álvaro Carreras, Antonio Rüdiger and Aurélien Tchouaméni were the outfield players from the senior squad training at the Ciudad Real Madrid. Thibaut Courtois and Andrey Lunin completed the goalkeeping work. The session started at 10.30 in the morning and, as on Monday, was held behind closed doors.

How the Real Madrid session unfolded with academy players

A group of academy players joined the first team to complete the session. The club said the morning began with activation drills and rondos, continued with possession work and ended with a match on a reduced-size pitch. It was a standard Valdebebas routine designed to keep the competitive edge high even with much of the squad absent.

Real Madrid's internationals and the injury list during the break

The international window keeps a large part of the senior squad away from Valdebebas. Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella are with Spain, while Carlos Espí is involved with the under-21 side and Thiago Pitarch with the under-20s. Eduardo Camavinga is with France, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, and Denzel Dumfries with the Netherlands. Yan Diomandé joined Ivory Coast, Vinícius Jr and Endrick are with Brazil, Arda Güler with Turkiye, Bernardo Silva with Portugal and Brahim Díaz with Morocco.

The international break has also added two more names to the club's injury list. Ibrahima Konaté suffered an injury to the collateral ligament in his right leg, while Kylian Mbappé picked up a hyperextension of the posterior capsule in his left knee. Both French players left their national team camp early and joined Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy on the sidelines.

Rodrygo and Mendy were back on the grass and worked with the ball as part of their own recoveries. Fede Valverde is also continuing his rehabilitation from the grade 3 left ankle sprain he suffered against Atlético de Madrid, an injury that ruled him out of Uruguay's Asian tour.

What is at stake for Real Madrid against Villarreal

Real Madrid return to action on Saturday 10 October at 9pm local time, when Villarreal visit the Santiago Bernabéu on matchday 8 of LaLiga. The game carries extra weight in the title race: José Mourinho's side sit fourth and trail leaders Barcelona by six points.

Getting players like Militao back is crucial for a demanding run of fixtures. The Brazilian centre-back has now completed several sessions with the group and is pushing through the final stage of his recovery, which could make him a real option for Ancelotti in the coming weeks.