Real Madrid vs Inter: Champions League – preview, team news, prediction

What the report says

Real Madrid begin their Champions League league-phase campaign against Inter Milan on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, in a meeting that also brings Jose Mourinho back into focus against his former club. Al Jazeera reported that Mourinho, now in his second spell at Real Madrid, is opening the European season against the Serie A champions after previously guiding Inter to Champions League glory in 2010.

The preview noted that Madrid enter the match looking to respond to a 1-0 La Liga defeat by Real Betis on Friday, their first setback under Mourinho this season. Kylian Mbappe, who missed a late penalty in that loss, said the team must improve in front of goal and stressed that the squad and staff need more stability. Mourinho, for his part, said the current spell should be judged separately from his first time in charge and said Madrid must keep working to build structure.

Inter arrive in Madrid after a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Napoli in Serie A, sealed by a stoppage-time goal from Lautaro Martinez. Al Jazeera also cited an Opta forecast giving Real Madrid the edge, and noted that Madrid have won 10 of the 19 meetings between the clubs, with Inter’s last victory in the matchup dating back to 1998.

Team news published by Al Jazeera said Madrid are missing several players, including Eduardo Camavinga and Eder Militao, while Inter are without left-back Federico Dimarco. The match kicks off at 9pm local time, with Al Jazeera Sport scheduled to provide build-up and live coverage.