All eyes will be on the Santiago Bernabéu as concern continues to grow inside Real Madrid ahead of the highly anticipated clash with Inter Milan in the opening game of their Champions League campaign. José Mourinho is not facing just a difficult European test; he enters the match with a lengthy list of absentees that could force him to completely reshape his side.
The crisis has reportedly reached the point where the Portuguese manager could be without as many as 10 players due to injuries and suspensions, while Real Madrid look to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Real Betis. As Inter prepare to travel to the Spanish capital, the outline of the lineup Mourinho could field has begun to take shape.
According to the predicted lineup published by The Standard, Mourinho is expected to opt for a 3-5-2 formation against Inter, with Thibaut Courtois in goal and Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and Ibrahima Konaté forming the back three.
On the flanks, Marc Cucurella is expected to start on the left, while Denzel Dumfries could operate on the right. In midfield, Mourinho is tipped to rely on Brahim Díaz, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior leading the attack.
The predicted lineup comes amid a genuine midfield crisis at Real Madrid, with Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva confirmed to be unavailable through suspension. The sanctions stem from incidents during the previous Champions League campaign, leaving Mourinho with extremely limited options for his first European match of the season.
The absences do not stop with the suspended players. Ferland Mendy, Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo are all on the injury list, while Aurélien Tchouaméni, Tiago Petarš and Endrick have returned to training after spells on the sidelines. However, their availability had not been fully confirmed at the time of the report.
As for Endrick, Mourinho has already made his position clear, confirming that the Brazilian striker will be on the bench but will only be able to play for around 10 minutes due to his lack of full match fitness.
Meanwhile, the availability of Tchouaméni and Tiago Petarš remains uncertain, along with Andriy Lunin and Éder Militão, making it even more difficult to determine Mourinho’s final options ahead of the match. Tchouaméni’s return in particular could provide Mourinho with an additional midfield solution if he receives medical clearance.
Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Real Betis has only increased the importance of the Inter clash, especially as the match represents Mourinho’s first major European test during his second spell at the club. Madrid conceded a late goal from Troy Parrott, while Mbappé missed a stoppage-time penalty, leaving the team empty-handed.
Despite all these problems, Mourinho still has attacking weapons capable of making the difference, most notably Mbappé and Vinícius, while Bellingham and Valverde are expected to shoulder greater responsibility in midfield.
Therefore, the clash with Inter will be more than just Real Madrid’s Champions League opener. It will be an early test of Mourinho’s ability to deal with an injury and suspension crisis and find the right lineup from a severely limited pool of options. If the predicted scenario becomes reality, we could see Real Madrid line up with three defenders and five midfielders against the Italian side.