Real Madrid vs Inter Milan Preview: Mourinho Faces Former Club in Champions League Opener

UEFA Champions League  -  Real Madrid VS Inter Milan
Match Time:09-09-2026 03:00 Wednesday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
-----------------------------
Real Madrid will welcome Inter Milan to the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday in the opening league-phase match of the 2026-27 Champions League. The fixture has added significance for Jose Mourinho, who faces the club he famously guided to the Champions League title in 2010. Both sides have ambitions of making a deep run in Europe, although they enter the contest with very different circumstances.

Team Analysis:
Real Madrid made an excellent start to the domestic season, winning their first three La Liga matches against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga. However, their perfect record came to an end on Friday when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis. Despite that setback, Madrid have an impressive record in Champions League opening matches, winning 17 of their last 19 such fixtures.

Inter Milan have started their Serie A title defence strongly, collecting nine points from their opening three matches. Cristian Chivu's side defeated Monza and Cagliari before producing a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Napoli, with Lautaro Martinez scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time. Their domestic form gives them plenty of confidence heading into Madrid.

However, Inter have struggled historically against Real Madrid in recent years. The Nerazzurri have lost their last four meetings with Los Blancos and have failed to score in each of the last three. They are also searching for their first away win against a Spanish club since beating Valencia in the 2004-05 Champions League.

Player Situation:
Real Madrid face a major selection problem in midfield. Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva are all suspended, while Aurelien Tchouameni remains a major doubt with a muscle problem. Jude Bellingham could therefore move into a deeper midfield role alongside Federico Valverde.

Madrid are also without Eder Militao, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio because of injuries. Thiago Pitarch, Endrick and Marc Cucurella have returned to training but remain doubts. Sports Mole expects Kylian Mbappe to lead the attack, supported by Vinicius Junior, Brahim Diaz and Yan Diomande.

Inter will be without Federico Dimarco after the left-back suffered a minor knee injury against Napoli. Djed Spence is also doubtful as he continues to build up his fitness. Marcus Thuram could be rewarded with a starting place after scoring against Napoli, potentially partnering Lautaro Martinez in attack.

Result Prediction:
Real Madrid have home advantage and a strong Champions League record, but their midfield absences could make this a much more difficult match than the usual Bernabéu European opener. Inter arrive in excellent domestic form and possess enough attacking quality to exploit Madrid's weaknesses.

At the same time, Real Madrid still have an enormous amount of firepower in attack. Mbappe and Vinicius can cause problems for an Inter defence that has looked less secure than previous versions of the team. This could develop into an open contest with chances at both ends.

Sports Mole expects neither side to completely dominate and predicts a high-quality draw at the Bernabéu.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Inter Milan