Real Madrid’s Champions League opener could not have come at a worse time. Jose Mourinho’s side host Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight for their first league phase fixture of the 2026-27 campaign, and the team news sheet reads more like a casualty list than a matchday squad. Five key players are already ruled out, and three more names are hanging by a thread. Here is everything you need to know about Real Madrid’s growing injury and suspension crisis heading into one of the biggest nights of the season so far.
Three Suspensions Carried Over From Last Season
The most eye-catching absences are all suspensions, and they all trace back to Real Madrid’s Champions League exit last term. Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga were both sent off for second yellow cards in the quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich, with Guler reportedly booked after the final whistle for arguing with the referee. Both picked up one-match bans that only kick in now that Real Madrid are back in Europe.
The third suspended name is the most surprising. Bernardo Silva will also sit out, serving a ban for a red card he picked up last season while still at Manchester City, in a Champions League tie against Real Madrid itself. Silva has since swapped City blue for Real white, and his first taste of Champions League football in Madrid colours will have to wait.
Injuries Adding to the Headache
Alongside the suspensions, Raul Asencio and Ferland Mendy remain sidelined through injury. Mendy is dealing with a thigh problem that could keep him out for months, while Asencio is nursing a leg issue that has resurfaced after an earlier setback.
Those two names join a longer treatment room list that already includes Eder Militao and Rodrygo, both long-term absentees from injuries sustained last season.
The Doubts: Endrick, Tchouameni and Pitarch
As if five confirmed absences were not enough, Mourinho is also sweating on the fitness of three more players. Aurelien Tchouameni has not featured all season with a muscle complaint and remains a doubt, despite being back in training.
Endrick could make his first squad appearance of the campaign after a muscular issue kept him out of the opening weeks, though his involvement is far from guaranteed. Thiago Pitarch, still working his way back from a knee problem, rounds out the trio of question marks.
Mourinho Returns to Face His Old Club
There is a storyline within the storyline here. Mourinho, back at Real Madrid this summer, faces the very club where he won the treble in 2010 before making the move to the Bernabeu. Denzel Dumfries, a fresh Real Madrid signing this summer, will also come face to face with his former Inter teammates.
Predicted Lineup and Kickoff Details
With Federico Valverde essentially the only fit specialist midfielder available, expect a reshuffled Real Madrid side. The most likely lineup features Courtois in goal, a back four of Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen and Cucurella, Bellingham alongside Valverde in midfield, and an attacking trio of Diomande, Diaz and Vinicius Junior supporting Kylian Mbappe up front.
Kickoff at the Santiago Bernabeu is set for 21:00 CET tonight. Despite the walking wounded list, Real Madrid remain heavy favourites, but a patched-together midfield against a battle-hardened Inter side makes this opener far more intriguing than it looked on paper a month ago.
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