Real Madrid will look to bounce back from a damaging defeat when they host Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, September 8, with kickoff set for 8pm BST, but boss Jose Mourinho faces mounting selection headaches as his side battles a lengthy list of absentees.
The hosts arrive off the back of a 1-0 loss at Real Betis, a game defined by a late strike from Troy Parrott and a missed stoppage-time penalty from Kylian Mbappe. That result has added extra pressure to a Madrid squad already stretched thin by injuries and suspensions since the early stages of Mourinho's second spell in charge.
Ferland Mendy, Raul Asencio and Rodrygo remain unavailable, with Rodrygo still recovering from the ACL injury he sustained late last season. There is slightly better news on other fronts, as Aurelien Tchouameni, Thiago Pitarch and Endrick have all returned to training after their own spells on the sidelines, though their readiness to feature against Inter is uncertain.
Mourinho has already indicated that Endrick will be included among the substitutes, but only in a limited capacity. "Endrick will be named to the bench as he is only ready to play about ten minutes," the manager confirmed, underlining the cautious approach being taken with the young forward's return.
Adding to Real Madrid's problems is a trio of suspensions carried over from last season. Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga are all ruled out for the visit of Inter. Notably, Silva's suspension stems from a red card shown during a match against Real Madrid last term, at a time when the Portuguese international was still representing Manchester City.
Despite the widespread absences, Mourinho does have some options returning to fitness in key areas. Marc Cucurella, who had to be substituted during the Betis defeat due to cramp, is expected to retake his place in the starting eleven at left wing-back, with Denzel Dumfries stationed on the right side of a five-man defensive line.
There had been speculation that Trent Alexander-Arnold might be repurposed into a midfield role to cover for the missing players, but with Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde all available and fit, such an adjustment does not appear necessary.
In goal, Thibaut Courtois is set to continue, shielded by a back three of Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger and Ibrahima Konate. Further forward, the attacking burden will fall on Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, both tasked with providing the cutting edge Madrid lacked against Betis.
The predicted lineup shapes up in a 3-5-2 formation: Courtois; Huijsen, Rudiger, Konate; Cucurella, Diaz, Bellingham, Valverde, Dumfries; Mbappe, Vinicius.
Beyond the confirmed absentees, question marks remain over the fitness of Tchouameni, Pitarch, Andriy Lunin and Eder Militao, all of whom are considered doubts for the fixture.
With so many key personnel sidelined, Mourinho will be relying on the depth and quality of his available squad to secure a positive result against an Inter side that will pose a stern test at the Bernabeu. The match is scheduled to be broadcast live on TNT Sports.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.