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<\/p>\nThe Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan clash is no longer just an opening Champions League fixture for Jose Mourinho. Something else is occupying the Portuguese coach\u2019s mind ahead of the big match\u2014something he deliberately refused to reveal when asked about his plans and expected lineup. With all eyes on what will happen at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u, Mourinho has left plenty of room for speculation, insisting that what he is hiding now will become clear once the match begins.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The surprise is that the issue is not only about Inter Milan\u2019s strength or the importance of Real Madrid\u2019s Champions League start. It is also about a decision Mourinho appears to have already made, while keeping the remaining details to himself. The coach, who knows exactly what these European nights demand, refused to give supporters or the media the answers they were waiting for, particularly with Real Madrid\u2019s midfield facing a difficult test because of several absences.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Inter Milan clash, Mourinho made his priority crystal clear, insisting that he does not want Real Madrid to produce a good performance only to leave the pitch defeated, in a direct reference to the recent loss against Real Betis. The Portuguese coach said he wants to win rather than simply play well, after believing his team performed well collectively against Betis but failed to convert chances that could have changed the result.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan is one of eight matches each team will play during the Champions League league phase. Mourinho therefore stressed the importance of every point, explaining that the ultimate objective is qualification for the next stage. He also believes both Real Madrid and Inter Milan are capable of qualifying, but winning the upcoming clash remains his immediate target.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid face a clear midfield problem ahead of the match, with three players suspended: Arda G\u00fcler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga, while Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni remains a doubt because of his physical condition. Those absences have forced Mourinho to consider several solutions before facing Inter Milan.<\/p>\n
When Mourinho was asked how he would compensate for those absences, he refused to reveal his cards, saying only that he has three, four or even five options, but would not tell anyone which one he will choose before the match. He also refused to settle the debate over whether Trent Alexander-Arnold could be used in midfield, adding even more uncertainty around the lineup Real Madrid will start with against Inter.<\/p>\n
Mourinho also confirmed that his previous comments about the squad would become much clearer once the Champions League match begins, suggesting that the answers he refused to provide during his press conference could emerge on the pitch. The Portuguese coach therefore appears determined to keep his most important cards hidden until the last possible moment, especially amid the midfield crisis.<\/p>\n
Mourinho did not limit his comments to the lineup and the match. He also returned to the defeat against Real Betis and criticized some of the refereeing decisions surrounding the game, questioning why a penalty was not retaken and expressing his surprise that Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior was booked after approaching the referee as captain.<\/p>\n
The Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan clash also carries a special significance for Mourinho because of his history with both clubs. The Portuguese coach led Inter Milan to the historic treble in 2010 before taking charge of Real Madrid, while Inter are now managed by Cristian Chivu, the former player who worked under Mourinho during his time at the Italian club.<\/p>\n
Despite his relationship with Chivu, the Real Madrid coach explained that the friendly atmosphere will return before and after the match, but not during it. He said he would be happy to hug Chivu before and after the game, but once the match begins, everything changes because, for him, it is simply another game in which the focus must remain on winning.<\/p>\n
Mourinho also rejected the idea of becoming distracted by his previous memories at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u. He pointed out that he has won a Champions League title at the stadium and also lost a semifinal on penalties, but stressed that his current focus is entirely on his job as Real Madrid coach and on the clash with Inter Milan.<\/p>\n
Although Mourinho acknowledged that winning the Champions League with Real Madrid would be a major achievement, he refused to connect the current mission with his first spell at the club, insisting that the past has nothing to do with what he is doing now. Real Madrid are preparing to face Inter Milan in their opening Champions League league-phase match at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u, with kickoff scheduled for 21:00 CEST.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan clash is no longer just an opening Champions League fixture for Jose Mourinho. Something else is occupying the Portuguese coach\u2019s mind ahead of the big match\u2014something he deliberately refused to reveal when asked about his plans and expected lineup. With all eyes on what will happen at the Santiago […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":38182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[933],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rreal-madrid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stad10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}