Real Madrid begin their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign against Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, September 8, with kickoff scheduled for 21:00 CEST. It is one of Matchday 1's standout fixtures, bringing together two former European champions and adding another chapter to a rivalry stretching back more than six decades.
There is also an interesting managerial subplot. José Mourinho is back in charge of Real Madrid and faces the club he led to the Champions League title in 2010, while Cristian Chivu, not Simone Inzaghi, is Inter's current head coach. Chivu took charge in June 2025 and signed an extension through 2028 after guiding Inter to the Serie A and Coppa Italia double last season.
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head
UEFA records 19 previous European meetings between Real Madrid and Inter.
Real Madrid wins: 10
Inter wins: 7
Draws: 2
Real Madrid goals: 28
Inter goals: 21
Madrid have won six of the last seven meetings and each of the last four. They have also won their last seven home games against Inter, keeping four clean sheets during that run. That corrects the previous figure of 11 Real Madrid victories.
Last 10 Meetings
The last ten competitive meetings are:
7 Dec 2021: Real Madrid 2-0 Inter — Champions League
15 Sep 2021: Inter 0-1 Real Madrid — Champions League
25 Nov 2020: Inter 0-2 Real Madrid — Champions League
3 Nov 2020: Real Madrid 3-2 Inter — Champions League
25 Nov 1998: Inter 3-1 Real Madrid — Champions League
16 Sep 1998: Real Madrid 2-0 Inter — Champions League
16 Apr 1986: Real Madrid 5-1 Inter after extra time — UEFA Cup
2 Apr 1986: Inter 3-1 Real Madrid — UEFA Cup
24 Apr 1985: Real Madrid 3-0 Inter — UEFA Cup
10 Apr 1985: Inter 2-0 Real Madrid — UEFA Cup
Madrid's most recent victory came in December 2021, when goals from Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio secured a 2-0 win at the Bernabéu. The four meetings since 2020 have all ended in Real Madrid victories.
Real Madrid Current Form
Real Madrid have taken nine points from their opening four La Liga matches.
Their results are:
Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad
Real Madrid 4-0 Málaga
Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid
José Mourinho's side scored ten goals across those four matches before Betis handed them their first league defeat of the season. Madrid created enough opportunities in Seville to get something from the game and struck the woodwork three times, but Troy Parrott's goal decided the contest.
Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior remain the obvious attacking threats, while Jude Bellingham will have an especially important role because Madrid enter this match with significant midfield availability problems.
Inter Milan Current Form
Inter have made a perfect start to their Serie A title defence under Cristian Chivu.
Their opening results are:
Inter 4-1 Monza
Cagliari 0-1 Inter
Inter 3-2 Napoli
That gives the Nerazzurri nine points from three matches, eight goals scored and three conceded.
Their latest victory was particularly impressive. Inter came from behind to beat Napoli 3-2, with Lautaro Martínez scoring twice and Marcus Thuram adding the other goal.
Inter therefore arrive with better immediate results than Madrid, although their recent record at the Bernabéu is much less encouraging.
Real Madrid Team News and Injuries
Madrid have several important absences for their Champions League opener.
UEFA currently lists:
Eduardo Camavinga — suspended
Arda Güler — suspended
Bernardo Silva — suspended
Raúl Asencio — out, tibia
Endrick — out, muscular
Éder Militão — out, thigh
Thiago Pitarch — out, ankle
Rodrygo — out, knee
Aurélien Tchouaméni — doubtful, muscular
Real Madrid also confirmed in their final training update that Militão, Rodrygo and Asencio remained in recovery.
UEFA's projected XI is:
Thibaut Courtois; Ibrahima Konaté, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen; Denzel Dumfries, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Brahim Díaz, Marc Cucurella; Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
The biggest concern is midfield. Camavinga, Güler and Bernardo are all suspended, leaving Mourinho with fewer established options around Valverde and Bellingham.
Inter Milan Team News and Injuries
Inter arrive in much better condition from an availability standpoint.
UEFA currently lists:
No confirmed absentees
Federico Dimarco — doubtful with a knee problem
UEFA's projected lineup is:
Josep Martínez; Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni; Andy Diouf, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Nicolò Barella, Piotr Zieliński, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Francesco Pio Esposito.
Marcus Thuram is also available and remains an important attacking option, but UEFA currently projects Esposito alongside Lautaro.
Inter's registered Champions League squad also includes players such as John Stones, Benjamin Pavard, Curtis Jones, Petar Sučić, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Djed Spence, giving Chivu considerable depth.
Tactical Match Analysis
This matchup is more tactically interesting than simply Madrid's speed against Inter's wing-backs.
Both teams could start with three centre-backs, but their attacking approaches should differ.
Madrid's greatest threat remains the ability of Vinícius and Mbappé to attack space quickly. If Mourinho uses Dumfries and Cucurella as wing-backs, Madrid can stretch Inter horizontally before looking for direct passes into their two forwards.
The absences in midfield could influence how aggressively Madrid build through central areas. Valverde and Bellingham will need to cover considerable ground, while Brahim can provide another link between midfield and attack.
Inter are much more settled through the centre. Çalhanoğlu, Barella and Zieliński give Chivu technical quality and control, while the back three allows the wing-backs to advance.
Lautaro's movement is particularly important. Rather than remaining between Madrid's centre-backs, he can drop into midfield or move into the channels, potentially dragging Madrid's reshaped defensive line out of position.
For me, the central question is whether Inter can control possession long enough to prevent Madrid from turning the match into a transition contest. If the game becomes stretched, Mbappé and Vinícius give Madrid an obvious advantage.
Key Players to Watch
Kylian Mbappé — Real Madrid: Madrid's primary goalscoring threat. He already scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad this season and remains extremely dangerous whenever opponents leave space behind their defensive line.
Jude Bellingham — Real Madrid: His importance increases because of Madrid's midfield suspensions. Bellingham will need to contribute both in progression and when Madrid lose possession.
Lautaro Martínez — Inter: Inter's captain comes into the game after scoring twice against Napoli. His movement, finishing and combination play make him the biggest threat to Madrid's defence.
Nicolò Barella — Inter: Barella's work rate and ability to progress the ball could be critical against a Madrid midfield missing several regular options.
What the Numbers Tell Us
Real Madrid lead the H2H: 10 wins to Inter's seven across 19 European meetings.
Four straight Madrid wins: Los Blancos have won every meeting since 2020.
Bernabéu dominance: Madrid have won their last seven home games against Inter.
Strong Matchday 1 record: Madrid have won their opening Champions League match in 17 of their last 19 campaigns.
Madrid are strong at home in this phase: they have won 14 of their last 16 home group-stage/league-phase games.
Inter are perfect domestically: three Serie A wins from three this season.
Inter's Spanish away record is a concern: they are winless in their last 13 European away matches against Spanish clubs.
Those numbers favour Madrid historically, but Inter's current domestic form makes this more balanced than the H2H record alone suggests.
Who Has the Advantage?
I give Real Madrid a slight advantage, primarily because the match is at the Bernabéu and their recent record against Inter is excellent.
Mbappé and Vinícius also give Madrid the type of pace that can punish Inter if the Italian side's wing-backs are caught high.
However, I would not make Madrid heavy favourites. Their midfield is significantly weakened by suspension and injury, while Inter arrive with three straight wins and a settled core under Chivu.
The visitors also have enough technical quality through Çalhanoğlu, Barella, Zieliński and Lautaro to exploit any lack of cohesion in Madrid's reshaped lineup.
Conclusion
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan is one of the strongest fixtures of Champions League Matchday 1.
Madrid have dominated the recent H2H series and are exceptionally difficult for Inter to beat at the Bernabéu, but Mourinho's side enter this game with several significant absences and are coming off their first domestic defeat.
Inter, meanwhile, have started Serie A with three wins and arrive with confidence after beating Napoli. Chivu's side should provide a much tougher test than the recent H2H record might imply.
I still give Real Madrid the narrow pre-match edge because of their home record and attacking quality, but Inter's midfield strength and better availability make this a genuinely competitive opener.