Mourinho's decree: why were Güler and Tchouaméni left out of the Real Madrid squad?

Real Madrid handed themselves an important boost ahead of their eagerly awaited European clash. But the squad list also carried two notable absentees in Turkey's Arda Guler and France's Aurelien Tchouameni, with Jose Mourinho opting to manage their physical workloads and give some of his stars a chance to rest before the team continues its Champions League journey.

The Royal club prepare to face Greece's AEK Athens tomorrow at the Allianz Arena, in the fourth round of the league phase of the Champions League. The occasion comes with plenty of anticipation as Madrid look to keep up their positive run in the continental competition.

Tchouameni's exclusion followed Mourinho's words in Santander, when he confirmed the French midfielder would not travel to Athens to give him a period of rest. That decision also extended to his Turkish team-mate Arda Guler, leaving both players out of the squad called up for the European clash.

Better news arrived for the fans with the return of Uruguay's Fede Valverde to the reckoning for the starting line-up. He had missed the Clasico clash at the El Sardinero stadium while recovering fully from a hamstring injury suffered during one of the matches.

Valverde is now ready to return to action. Spanish newspaper "AS" expect him to feature in Real Madrid's starting line-up against the Greek champions, a significant lift for the team given the absence of Guler and Tchouameni.