Three Real Madrid midfielders suspended for Champions League clash with

Three Real Madrid midfielders — Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga — will miss Tuesday’s Champions League league-phase opener against Inter Milan due to suspensions stemming from red cards in last season’s competition.

Each player was sent off in Real Madrid’s final European fixture of the previous Champions League edition. Camavinga and Guler received red cards during the second leg of the quarter-final versus Bayern Munich. Silva was dismissed in the second leg of the round of 16 against Real Madrid.

The Santiago Bernabeu match marks the first round of the league phase, scheduled for 8 September 2026 at 21:00. With those three players ruled out, manager Jose Mourinho must assemble a new midfield combination, having lost three of his four usual starting midfielders in that single match last season.

Recovery efforts for Tchouameni

Aurelien Tchouameni is now central to Mourinho’s plans for the Inter encounter. The French midfielder has yet to appear this season, sidelined by injury-related pain that emerged upon his return from holiday and prevented him from reaching his teammates’ physical standards.

Mourinho’s likely configuration involves pairing Tchouameni with Fede Valverde. To prepare Tchouameni for the Champions League fixture, the club is considering giving him minutes in the upcoming La Liga match against Real Betis — though no decision has been confirmed.

Depth concerns intensify

Thiago Pitarch is also injured, compounding the midfield shortage. Mourinho faces the task of constructing a competitive unit from severely limited options ahead of what is widely regarded as one of the most sensitive and difficult matches of the league phase.

According to Defensa Central, the suspension crisis has created a significant midfield headache for the Real Madrid head coach ahead of the Inter Milan fixture.