Jose Mourinho begins his attempt to lead Real Madrid to a record-extending 16th European Cup on Tuesday, when Inter Milan visit the Santiago Bernabeu for the opening round of the Champions League league phase.
The Portuguese manager guided Inter to Champions League glory 16 years ago, but his latest European campaign with Real Madrid starts against a side that has also underperformed by its own standards in recent seasons.
Real Madrid were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the 2025-26 competition, while Inter suffered a surprise play-off defeat by Bodø/Glimt. Mourinho, who has won the competition with both Inter and Porto, will be seeking another defining moment in a tournament closely associated with his career.
The match is also being viewed as a potential opportunity for three betting selections: both teams to score with fewer than 4.5 goals at 2.32, Kylian Mbappe to score at 1.72, and Jude Bellingham to contribute a goal or assist at 2.30.
Mourinho’s Inter campaign last season ended against Real Madrid in the knockout play-offs, but the Spanish club remain without the 16th European title they have been chasing. They have been eliminated in the quarter-finals in each of the past two seasons.
Real Madrid have also surrendered their status as Europe’s leading side to Paris Saint-Germain and face a demanding league-phase schedule. Arsenal, RB Leipzig, Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk are among the other opponents awaiting them, with Shakhtar due to face the Spanish club at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho’s former home ground.
History nevertheless points to a fast start from Real Madrid. They have won 17 of their past 19 opening Champions League matches, including each of the last five. Their most recent failure came in a 3-2 defeat by Shakhtar in 2020.
Real Madrid began their La Liga campaign with three successive victories against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga, but their 1-0 defeat by Real Betis on Friday exposed continuing weaknesses. Mbappe missed a penalty in a performance criticised as “selfish” from Real’s leading scorer.
Inter, meanwhile, remain the closest of the two clubs to another European triumph since Real Madrid’s 2024 title. However, they have lost two finals in the past four editions and have not matched their famous 2010 success.
Their 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in the 2023 final was followed by a 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in 2025 and last season’s unexpected elimination by Bodø/Glimt. Cristian Chivu was in charge when Inter lost 5-2 on aggregate to the Norwegian side.
Domestic form has been considerably stronger. Inter won the Serie A and Coppa Italia double last season for the first time since Mourinho’s celebrated 2009-10 campaign. They have also taken a maximum nine points from their opening three league matches this term, beating Monza, Cagliari and Napoli. Lautaro Martinez scored late to complete a dramatic 3-2 comeback against Napoli.
Inter have not beaten Real Madrid since a 3-1 victory at the end of 1998. They have lost their past four meetings with the Spanish side, failing to score in the last three.
Real Madrid will be without three suspended players because of sanctions carried over from last season: Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva. Aurelien Tchouameni is a major doubt with a muscular problem, which could see Bellingham move deeper alongside Federico Valverde in a double pivot.
Eder Militao and Rodrygo are out with hamstring and knee injuries respectively, while Ferland Mendy and Thiago Pitarch are also unavailable. Raul Asencio, Endrick and Marc Cucurella will be assessed before kick-off.
Inter’s squad is almost complete, with new signing Djed Spence the only notable absentee as he continues his return to full fitness.
Substitute Curtis Jones impressed against Napoli and was praised by the Italian media. Chivu is expected to consider starting him ahead of Petar Sucic. Marcus Thuram could also replace Pio Esposito after scoring Inter’s equaliser against Napoli, while Hakan Calhanoglu is expected to challenge Piotr Zielinski for a midfield role.
Probable teams
Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bellingham, Valverde; Diomande, Diaz, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe.
Inter Milan: Martinez; Bastoni, Bisseck, Akanji; Diouf, Barella, Jones, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.
Inter have failed to win any of their past 13 away matches against Spanish teams. Their last such victory came against Valencia in the 2004-05 Champions League group stage.
That run could end if Chivu’s side can exploit Real Madrid’s weakened midfield, although Inter’s defence is no longer as secure as it once was. The visitors may have an opportunity to cause problems, but Mourinho’s attack should possess enough power to respond in what could become a high-scoring draw at the Bernabeu.