Mourinho's Real Madrid hits the mountains with an unexpected helper in the squad

José Mourinho's return to Real Madrid has been as smooth as a flat stage with no obstacles: three games, three wins and no bumps in the road. But the terrain changes from tomorrow. The league trip to Real Betis and, above all, the Champions League opener against Inter Milan next Tuesday are the first mountain stages for the Portuguese coach.

• Real Madrid have won three in a row since Mourinho's arrival, but the level rises this week with Betis and Inter Milan up next.
• The midfield is badly depleted for the Inter match: Tchouaméni is injured, while Güler, Camavinga and Bernardo Silva are suspended.
• Thiago Pitarch, one of the reserve team options, is also injured, leaving even fewer choices in the middle of the park.
• Sergio Martínez, a 19-year-old signed from Racing de Santander, has been named in the matchday squad against Betis.
• With Vinicius and Mbappé in form and experienced lieutenants like Valverde and Courtois available, the team has strength elsewhere despite the shortage in midfield.

Why Betis and Inter change the pace for Real Madrid

So far, the schedule has allowed Mourinho to settle the team without major setbacks. Three wins from the opening three competitive matches restored calm around the club and gave the squad a chance to rebuild confidence after a turbulent summer. But the trip to the Benito Villamarín and the European opener at the Santiago Bernabéu push the intensity to another level.

Betis are a tough opponent on home soil, and the Champions League leaves no room for a slow start. For a Real Madrid side aiming to compete for every title, taking maximum points from both matches feels essential before the autumn schedule becomes even more demanding.

The suspension and injury crisis hitting Real Madrid's midfield

Mourinho's biggest headache is in the middle of the pitch. For the visit of Inter Milan, the Portuguese coach will be without Tchouaméni through injury and without Güler, Camavinga and Bernardo Silva through suspension. The pile-up of absences leaves the team practically without specialist holding midfielders and forces the coaching staff to look for emergency solutions.

The situation is made worse by the fact that Thiago Pitarch, one of the reserve team's most-used players in that position, is also unavailable due to injury. The room for manoeuvre is shrinking, and the academy, which has helped balance the books in recent months, is once again becoming a resource of necessity.

Who is Sergio Martínez, the surprise name in the squad

In the middle of that landscape, a name not originally in the first team's immediate plans has emerged: Sergio Martínez. The 19-year-old defensive midfielder, signed this summer from Racing de Santander with a role intended for Real Madrid Castilla, has been included in the matchday squad for the league game against Betis.

Sergio Martínez, recently signed from Racing de Santander with a reserve team role in mind, will have to step into first-team action sooner than expected.

Mourinho, always forward-thinking, does not rule out giving him minutes against the Andalusian side if the game allows it. The idea would be for the youngster to get used to first-team demands ahead of a week in which every available body counts, especially with Inter Milan coming to town.

The experienced backbone keeping Mourinho's project together

Despite the midfield emergency, Real Madrid still have serious quality to rely on. Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois operate as experienced lieutenants, with enough status to carry the team through difficult moments. Up front, Vinicius and Mbappé arrive in top condition, ready to punish any defensive lapse from the opposition.

That spine allows the team to approach the week with a degree of calm, although the imbalance in the creative department will force Mourinho to adjust his plan. The tactical demands will be high, and any extra setback could turn a temporary problem into a structural one.

The real test to measure this new Real Madrid

The early weeks of the season have produced good feelings, but they have not yet served to measure the team's true level. The first three wins came in comfortable circumstances, without extreme pressure or opponents capable of pushing Mourinho's side to their limits.

Now, with Betis and Inter on the horizon, the real evaluation begins. It will be the moment to find out whether this version of Real Madrid is ready to sustain the pace when the road goes uphill and legs grow heavy. In football, just as in cycling, the mountains have arrived.