Overview
- Real Madrid will host Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night in the opening match of the Champions League group stage.
- Three key midfielders—Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler—are suspended and Aurélien Tchouaméni is not fit to start, leaving Federico Valverde as Madrid’s primary experienced midfielder.
- Inter arrive in Madrid buoyed by a perfect start in Serie A and a 3‑win domestic run that captain Lautaro Martínez says makes winning the Champions League an objective.
- Inter coach Cristian Chivu publicly praised José Mourinho for past support and success but insisted his own tactics are independent, framing the fixture as a personal reunion with competitive edges.
- How Mourinho covers the midfield shortage will shape Real Madrid’s early European form and give Inter a clear chance to try breaking their roughly 60‑year winless run at the Bernabéu.