Mourinho Returns to Champions League: Real Madrid vs Inter Milan

Jose Mourinho strides back into the Champions League at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night, and fate has handed him a familiar face across the halfway line: Inter Milan.

It is his first European outing with Real Madrid since returning to the club in the summer, and the brief could not be clearer. Two seasons without a trophy is an eternity in this stadium. Mourinho has been brought back to change that, and to end his own 14-year wait for another Champions League crown.

Mourinho vs Inter: Old flames, new stakes

The last time Mourinho conquered Europe, it was with Inter in 2010, completing a historic Treble that still defines the club’s modern identity. Now Inter are led by one of his former lieutenants, Cristian Chivu, the ex-Inter defender turned head coach, trying to write his own chapter in a competition Mourinho once owned.

Chivu’s Inter arrive in form and in rhythm. They came from behind to beat Napoli at the weekend, making it three wins from three in Serie A. Real Madrid, by contrast, are still nursing the bruise from Friday’s 1-0 defeat away to Real Betis – Mourinho’s first loss of his second spell.

The reunion comes with a twist. While the coaches dominate the storyline, the spotlight, as ever, will be dragged towards Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe’s unfinished business

Mbappe has won everything domestically. He has watched his former club Paris Saint-Germain lift the Champions League twice in a row without him. Now he stands at the centre of Real Madrid’s project, the man expected to drag them back to the summit of Europe.

This is his stage. The Bernabeu. The anthem. The expectation that he turns a strong squad into a terrifying one.

When and where

Real Madrid vs Inter Milan kicks off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 9 September at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, after the earlier Champions League fixture between Club Brugge and Aston Villa.

Team news: Madrid light in midfield

Mourinho’s biggest headache is in the middle of the pitch.

Real Madrid are without three suspended players: Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler. Camavinga and Guler are serving bans after being sent off in last season’s quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich, while Silva is suspended following his red card in Manchester City’s last-16 loss to Madrid.

Aurelian Tchouameni is also a major doubt with injury. If he does not make it, Mourinho will be forced to improvise in a zone he usually likes to control.

Inter have far fewer concerns. Federico Dimarco limped off in the win over Napoli and is not expected to feature, but Chivu has no other fitness issues to contend with. That opens the door for Curtis Jones, the former Liverpool midfielder and England international, who could make his Champions League debut for Inter.

Possible line-ups

• Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen; Cucurella; Valverde, Bellingham, Brahim Diaz; Diomonde, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
• Inter Milan XI: Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni, Henrique; Calhanoglu, Barella, Jones; Augusto, Martinez, Thuram

Mourinho against Inter. Mbappe chasing a first European crown. Chivu stepping into the arena where his old boss once ruled. For a group-stage tie, this already feels like something more.