Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign gets underway on Tuesday night, and it’s already a fixture wrapped in chaos — three key players suspended, seven more in the treatment room, and José Mourinho playing his cards close to his chest at the pre-match press conference. Despite the turbulence, there is at least some good news: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Antonio Rudiger are fit and expected to return to the starting eleven when Inter Milan visit the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Suspension Nightmare
Mourinho’s headache heading into this one is significant. Arda Güler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are all banned — suspensions carried over from the previous season — meaning the midfield area is stretched before the campaign has even begun. And it doesn’t stop there. Aurélien Tchouaméni (muscle), Éder Militão (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), Raúl Asencio (muscle), Thiago Pitarch (knee), Endrick (muscle), and Rodrygo (cruciate ligament) are all sidelined, leaving the squad looking worryingly thin in multiple departments.
When Mourinho faced the press ahead of the match, the obvious question was put to him: with the midfield so depleted, would Alexander-Arnold be shifted into a central role? The Portuguese manager responded with trademark deflection. “I’m not going to comment on that, forgive me. I could spend five minutes here going around in circles. I’m being honest with you, and obviously these three players are out due to suspension,” he said. He added: “I don’t know if the calendar algorithm spoke Italian or not, but the algorithm chose this match to be played in this situation. Your question is obvious; it’s the question I was expecting. But we have 3, 4, or 5 options. We could sit here and discuss all of them, but ultimately I’m not going to tell you anything.” Classic Mourinho — simultaneously saying everything and nothing.
Predicted Lineup vs Inter Milan
Despite the mystery and misdirection, the predicted lineup suggests Alexander-Arnold will actually play at right-back rather than in midfield, with the double pivot role instead falling to Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. That is a considerable burden on both men, who will need to cover a huge amount of ground against a well-drilled Inter side. Brahim Díaz takes up the number ten position, operating in the space behind a front line that, on paper at least, still looks genuinely dangerous.
Thibaut Courtois is, as ever, the automatic choice in goal. The back four features Alexander-Arnold at right-back, Rudiger and Dean Huijsen as the central defensive partnership, and Marc Cucurella on the left. In attack, Kylian Mbappé leads the line, with Vinícius Júnior and Yan Diomande providing width on either side of Díaz.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bellingham; Diomande, Díaz, Vinícius Júnior; Mbappé.
What It Means for Los Blancos
Starting the Champions League campaign at home is always an opportunity, but this is a test that comes at the worst possible time in terms of squad availability. Inter Milan are perennial contenders in this competition — a club with the tactical discipline and big-game experience to punish any team that isn’t fully firing. For Mourinho, this is one of those matches where organisation and defensive solidity will likely matter more than free-flowing football.
The Bellingham-Valverde double pivot is actually a fascinating tactical solution. Valverde’s engine and pressing ability combined with Bellingham’s drive and late runs into the box could make them a genuinely effective partnership, even if neither is a natural holding midfielder. Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold at right-back gives Real Madrid a creative outlet from deep, something that has been central to his game since his days at Liverpool.
For Madridistas, the injury list is alarming and the suspensions couldn’t have come at a worse moment — but the squad still contains world-class talent from front to back. If Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham hit their stride together, even a patchwork Real Madrid side is capable of putting any team to the sword. The Bernabéu faithful will be doing their part on Tuesday night. Now it’s over to Mourinho and his players to deliver.
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