This one is a story of former clubs
Jose Mourinho, who returned to Real Madrid this season after 13 years, will be welcoming his old club Inter Milan to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night, in the opening round of the league phase of the Champions League.
Mourinho led Inter to the Champions League title in 2010 before moving to Madrid later that year. He never won the trophy with Madrid though, and this season is a little bit about winning trophies for Mourinho, Madrid having gone the last two seasons without any.
They also head into this game after a setback in La Liga, having lost 1-0 to Real Betis on Friday. Kylian Mbappe missed a late penalty about 10 minutes after Troy Parrott had scored what would prove to be the decisive goal. It was Mourinho’s first defeat of the season and leaves Madrid looking for an immediate response on the European stage.
Inter, meanwhile, have made a perfect start to their Serie A campaign. They beat Monza 4-1, followed that with a 1-0 win at Cagliari and then edged Napoli 3-2 on Saturday. Cristian Chivu’s side therefore arrive in Madrid with three victories from three league matches.
The visitors also have recent history to overcome. Inter have not beaten Real Madrid since 1998 and have lost their last five meetings with the Spanish club, including four Champions League games between 2020 and 2021. Madrid lead the overall head-to-head record 10 wins to seven, with two draws from 19 meetings.
Madrid’s attacking threat is formidable enough despite their problems elsewhere. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham have combined superbly so far this season, even though they fired blanks at the weekend, an outcome Mourinho admitted he was puzzled by, giving his side’s chances created.
Team News
Real Madrid will be without Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva through suspension, and Aurelien Tchouameni is doubtful, so the main question will be who partners with Federico Valverde at the base of midfield.
Defenders Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are also ruled out with injuries, as is winger Rodrygo, while Endrick has returned to training but is not expected to be ready for significant minutes. Mourinho said the Brazilian could play only five to 10 minutes if selected.
As for Inter, Federico Dimarco is the main concern after picking up a knee injury. Djed Spence is also not expected to be ready, but Chivu otherwise has a strong squad available for the trip to Madrid.
Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Inter (4-3-3): Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bellingham, Diaz; Vinicius, Mbappe
Inter Milan predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (3-5-2): Josep Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Çalhanoglu, Zielinski, Augusto; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram.
Date: Tuesday, 8 September 2026
Kick-off Time: 8pm BST / 3pm ET
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan Match Prediction
Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan
