Opponent watch: Key Inter Milan defender set to miss Real Madrid clash

Opponent watch: Key Inter Milan defender set to miss Real Madrid clash Real Madrid will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign for the 2026/27 season with a home game against Inter Milan tomorrow night at the Santiago Bernabeu. Heading into the contest on the back of a La Liga loss to Real Betis, the Merengues will be eager to produce a strong reaction and pick up all three points against manager Jose Mourinho’s former employers. Leading up to the game, Real Madrid have welcomed some positive news on the fitness front as Aurelien Tchouameni appears set to be available for the first time this season. No Federico Dimarco for Inter Milan However, Inter Milan are set to travel to Spain without one of their most important players for the Champions League encounter. Indeed, according to Matteo Barzaghi of Sky Sport Italia , Federico Dimarco will not be a part of the Nerazzurri squad that will take on Real Madrid on Tuesday night. No Federico Dimarco for Inter Milan. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) The left-back suffered a mild knee sprain over the weekend in the game against Napoli, leading to him being taken off by manager Cristian Chivu at the hour mark. The 28-year-old Italian international started today’s training session with the rest of the group, leading to the possibility that he would be a part of the squad that flies to Madrid to take on Los Blancos . However, as per the journalist, after the session it was decided that Dimarco will not be a part of the Inter Milan roster for the Champions League clash. The Italian left-back is not being left behind because his condition worsened, but it is a decision made to not take any risk with his recovery. Dimarco is a key player for the Nerazzurri . (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) As such, Dimarco will remain in Italy and continue working to be at his best for the Serie A champions’ next game. A key player for Inter With Dimarco set to miss out, Inter Milan will be without an important player for their fixture against Real Madrid. The 28-year-old wing-back featured 47 times across all competitions last season, racking up a total of eight goals and 18 assists, playing an important role in the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto success. This term, he has started all three of their Serie A matches, even registering one assist. In his absence, Carlos Augusto could step in as Inter Milan’s starting left wing-back against Real Madrid.