Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Inter Milan | UEFA Champions League

Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Inter Milan | UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League is finally back, and Real Madrid take to the field on Tuesday night in a massive matchday one clash against reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri were on fire domestically last season and have begun the new season as strongly, while Real Madrid’s campaign has been quite a mixed bag so far. On Tuesday night, Los Blancos will face their biggest test of the season yet, which comes right after their defeat to Real Betis in La Liga. And the clash will be all the more complicated by the fact that manager Jose Mourinho has some key absences from the squad. Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Inter Milan. Enter the Champions League For all of Real Madrid’s greatness in the UEFA Champions League over the years, the club have struggled to make their presence felt in the competition in the past couple of seasons. The past two years have been all about Paris Saint-Germain in the competition, and Luis Enrique’s side are even looking to go after Real Madrid’s historic three-peat at the event this season. In that sense, and given the team’s poor performances over the past two editions of the Champions League, this season’s edition becomes all the more important and it all kicks off tomorrow night. Los Blancos have currently featured only in one competition under Mourinho after the Special One’s return, and tomorrow’s game will mark the beginning of a new avenue on their schedule. With the Champions League anthem set to grace the Santiago Bernabeu once more, Real Madrid must look to treat it as a fresh start in the event and give their all.  After all, they continue to be perennial favourites in the competition, but another stale performance this season could begin to create doubts about whether Real Madrid are indeed worthy of such a title. A midfield crisis Mourinho faces some major decisions. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Real Madrid face a serious midfield crisis ahead of the clash against Inter Milan on Tuesday night, and Mourinho openly admitted to the same in his pre-match press conference . After all, Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler are all suspended for the clash against the Serie A side as they carry forward last season’s sanctions. Furthermore, Aurelien Tchouameni is only just returning from injury and is nowhere close to being fit to start. He may feature on the bench , but playing from the get-go is close to impossible. In that sense, Mourinho has only Federico Valverde to count on as a player to feature in the double pivot tomorrow, and he stares at a difficult decision as to whom to field alongside the Uruguayan star. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been rumoured to be a top candidate to play alongside Valverde although Mourinho refused to comment on that possibility. Another option that has been growing in recent hours is a young name meriting a start, likely either Jorge Cestero or Sergio Martinez. Given the weight of the game and how important a win is tomorrow night, it remains to be seen how Mourinho addresses the personnel crisis in midfield. He does have his options, but picking the right one from them will not be simple. Real Madrid’s toughest test yet There are two mutually independent aspects to the difficulty of the clash that awaits Real Madrid midweek. The first, and most obvious reason to flag the game as Real Madrid’s most difficult clash of the season thus far has to do with the opponent themselves.  Inter Milan, after all, are the reigning Italian champions and have enjoyed a great start to the new season with three wins in three games domestically. In those three games, they have scored eight goals and conceded three times. Notably, their most recent clash involved a comeback from 2-0 down to a 3-2 win against Napoli in what was a statement performance. Beyond that, however, Real Madrid have made the situation complicated for themselves by taking a blow to their momentum at a critical moment in the season. Los Blancos suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis at the weekend and handed the lead in La Liga to Barcelona after a performance which was disappointing in an attacking sense. With the spirits in the dressing room at a relative low after that clash, it is not ideal for Mourinho’s men to face Inter Milan in the immediate next game. It thus remains to be seen how Los Blancos turn up on the night against a difficult opposition at a relatively complicated moment. All eyes will be on the big clash.