Real Madrid vs Inter: Mourinho Faces Midfield Crisis in Champions League Opener
The Champions League lights come on at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night, but José Mourinho’s first task is not Inter Milan. It’s his own team sheet.
Real Madrid begin their league-phase campaign against the Italian champions at 9 p.m. CEST, still stinging from a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis. The mood is tense, the stakes are obvious, and the midfield is a problem.
Midfield crisis at the Bernabéu
Three suspensions. A key doubt. Several injuries. Mourinho has walked into European opening night with his engine room stripped bare.
Eight Real Madrid players are listed as unavailable. Raúl Asencio, Endrick, Éder Militão, Thiago Pitarch and Rodrygo are all out injured. Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva are suspended for the Champions League opener.
Those three bans cut straight through the core of Madrid’s plan. Camavinga and Güler are serving suspensions carried over from last season. Silva is sidelined after his red card in a previous clash against Real Madrid.
That leaves Aurélien Tchouaméni as the big question mark. The French midfielder has been recovering from a muscular problem and could return, but Mourinho has refused to confirm whether he will start. Endrick, also nursing a muscular issue, remains a doubt after missing the opening matches of the season.
Mourinho has admitted that Madrid have “known issues” going into this one. He also insisted his team will compete and aim to win, but the reality is clear: his options are thin where it matters most. He spoke of having “3, 4, or 5 options” to cope in midfield, then stopped there. No clues, no hints, no reveal.
The guessing game continues until the teams walk out.
Inter arrive stronger, but not untouched
On the other side, Inter Milan land in Madrid with far fewer problems and a quiet sense of advantage.
UEFA’s injury report lists no confirmed absentees for Cristian Chivu’s side. The only concern is Federico Dimarco, who is struggling with a knee issue picked up in Serie A against Napoli. His status is the one cloud hanging over an otherwise clean bill of health.
Dimarco’s availability shapes Inter’s entire left flank. If he cannot start, Chivu will need to adjust his wing-back structure and rethink how Inter attack down that side.
Beyond that, the squad looks strong. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Nicolò Barella, Alessandro Bastoni and Lautaro Martínez are all expected to feature, giving Inter a settled spine and continuity that Madrid simply do not have right now.
It hands Inter a clear selection edge. While Mourinho juggles suspensions and injuries, Chivu can focus on tactics, not triage.
Predicted lineups: two back threes, one big question
UEFA’s latest predicted lineups suggest both managers will mirror each other with three at the back.
For Real Madrid, Mourinho is tipped to go with a 3-5-2. Thibaut Courtois is expected in goal, with a back three of Ibrahima Konaté, Antonio Rüdiger and Dean Huijsen.
Across midfield, the projected five are Denzel Dumfries, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Brahim Díaz and Marc Cucurella. Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé are expected to lead the line, a terrifying front two even with a patched-up support cast behind them.
Inter’s predicted XI also leans on a back three. Josep Martínez is tipped to start in goal, behind Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji and Bastoni. Across midfield, the expectation is Denzel Dumfries on one side, Dimarco on the other, with Çalhanoğlu, Barella and Piotr Zieliński inside. Lautaro Martínez and Francesco Pio Esposito are projected to spearhead the attack.
But there are still moving pieces. The final fitness checks on Tchouaméni and Dimarco could reshape both midfields. If Tchouaméni is not ready, Mourinho’s already stretched options become even more fragile. If Dimarco fails his test, Inter lose one of their main outlets on the left.
The official lineups will land about an hour before kick-off. By then, we will know whether this is simply a heavyweight clash between Real Madrid and Inter Milan – or a night where selection chaos forces Mourinho into one of the boldest gambles of his European career.
