José Mourinho’s surprise player against Inter Milan

Real Madrid will host Inter Milan this Tuesday in their opening Champions League match of the season, but José Mourinho is facing a major selection headache ahead of the European showdown.

“I don’t know if the Champions League algorithm is Italian, but that’s the way it decided things,” José Mourinho joked during his pre-match press conference when discussing Real Madrid’s first European fixture of the campaign.

The Portuguese coach may have been smiling, but the circumstances surrounding the match are far from ideal. Real Madrid are preparing to face one of Europe’s strongest sides while dealing with a serious shortage of options in midfield.

Mourinho is currently without five of the six players who would normally be considered candidates to operate in his double pivot. To make matters even more complicated, Arda Güler is also suspended for the clash against Inter.

Eduardo Camavinga and Bernardo Silva will both serve suspensions following their red cards in last season’s Champions League campaign. Aurélien Tchouaméni is another absentee. Although the French midfielder is edging closer to a return, Tuesday’s match is expected to come too soon for him.

Thiago Pitarch, one of the revelations of last season, is also unavailable, leaving Mourinho with very limited room for manoeuvre in one of the most important areas of the pitch.

Three options being considered by Mourinho

“I’m not going to tell you anything, but I understand the question,” Mourinho replied when asked during his press conference how he plans to solve the midfield problem.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, the Real Madrid coach has three main alternatives, with one of them potentially providing a major surprise in the starting XI.

The first and perhaps most logical solution would involve dropping Jude Bellingham into a deeper midfield role alongside Federico Valverde. Although the England international usually plays further forward, his physical qualities, work rate and ability to carry the ball could allow him to operate effectively in the double pivot.

Such a decision would also open the door for Brahim Díaz to take Bellingham’s position further up the pitch. It could potentially lead to another significant change: Yan Diomandé earning his first start for Real Madrid on the right wing.

The second possibility would be for Mourinho to place his faith in youth. Cestero and recent signing Sergio Martínez are both capable of playing in central midfield. However, handing either youngster his first major responsibility in such a demanding Champions League fixture against Inter would represent a considerable gamble.

🚨🚨 TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 POURRAIT DÉBUTER AU MILIEU DE TERRAIN AVEC FEDERICO VALVERDE 🇺🇾 FACE À L’INTER MILAN. 👀🤍

José Mourinho réfléchit sérieusement à cette option pour la prochaine rencontre.@AlbertoPereiro pic.twitter.com/1QMlXLFCgk

— Mavenscy (@Mavenscy) September 7, 2026

The third option, described as both surprising and credible by AS, would see Trent Alexander-Arnold moved into midfield.

The Englishman has enjoyed an encouraging start to the season and has long been praised for his technical quality, passing range and intelligence in possession. Some believe those characteristics could make him particularly effective in midfield, especially in a match where Real Madrid may need greater control of the ball.

According to AS, Mourinho is seriously considering the experiment.

Whatever decision the Portuguese coach makes, Real Madrid’s midfield against Inter Milan promises to be one of the biggest tactical talking points of their Champions League opener.