Real Madrid: attacking quality but hit by key absences

José Mourinho’s team made a flying start to their league campaign, collecting three straight victories against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga. Their perfect record came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Betis, a match in which Kylian Mbappé missed from the penalty spot and Madrid failed to find the net for the first time this season.

Their midfield situation is now a major concern ahead of the Champions League opener. Camavinga, Güler and Bernardo Silva are all suspended, while Tchouaméni is not expected to be fully ready to begin the match.

Inter: perfect league record and encouraging momentum

Cristian Chivu’s Inter have also enjoyed an unbeaten start, winning all three of their Serie A fixtures. They opened with a 4-1 victory over Monza, followed it with a 1-0 success against Cagliari and then edged Napoli 3-2. Lautaro Martínez proved decisive in the latest game, scoring the winner deep into stoppage time.

Despite their strong results, Inter have not looked as defensively solid as they were a few seasons ago. Their preparations have also been affected by the absence of Federico Dimarco, who is sidelined with a knee problem.

Probable line-ups

Real Madrid: Courtois, Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella, Bellingham, Valverde, Diomande, Díaz, Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé.

Inter: Martínez, Bastoni, Bisseck, Akanji, Diouf, Barella, Jones, Çalhanoğlu, Augusto, Martínez, Thuram.

Match facts and head-to-head record

Real Madrid have won 17 of their last 19 opening Champions League fixtures.

Inter have collected the maximum nine points from their first three Serie A matches.

Inter have suffered defeat in each of their last four meetings with Real Madrid and failed to score in three of those games.

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