Pre-game Thoughts: Real Madrid vs Inter Milan, Champions League Matchday 1

I have done many silly things in my life, but I'm not entirely sure anything will top this level of silliness: Writing a pre-game piece, less than three hours before kick-off, that will probably age horribly. But I am here to entertain you and be of service, with the important duty of keeping your mind occupied for a brief period on a Real Madrid matchday which tends to go by very slowly because we're all waiting for the game to start while we twiddle our thumbs. Special shoutout to lucky Hawaiians, who can essentially wake-and-bake and roll over to the TV set in their pyjamas. WATCH: Real Madrid vs Inter Milan Preview Podcast for Members I have mixed feelings about this game. There is part of me that feels the same about tonight as I did against Malaga: Bernabeu home opener in a major tournament, a charged atmosphere, and a motivated Real Madrid = W. I think this is a great opportunity to have a mental rebound following the Real Betis debacle, and, a win against a big European club is also a chance to prove that what happened in La Cartuja was a freak occurrence that came down to bad finishing (and a poor second half, which. was a direct result of the bad finishing.) But Inter are perfect party poopers. Without getting carried away through three games (and they very well may be humbled tonight), they do look great so far, and are riding a momentous 3-2 comeback against Napoli after going down two goals in the second half — capped off by a 91st minute game winner by Lautaro Martinez. Cristian Chivu is somewhat of a Jose Mourinho protégé, but with his own twist in tactics. He's adopted a lot of Jose's man-management skills, but opts for a 3-5-2, with a scheme that offers more attacking aggressiveness than his predecessor Simone Inzaghi. While Chivu's blueprint is more than capable of dropping into a deep, compact, low block, they are also very daring offensively, are very fluid off the ball in the final third, and like to pin and press opponents. Not having both Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva available to help escape pressure will be tricky, and there will be a lot of onus on Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold (who I presume will start because either Yan Diomande or Brahim Diaz will be on the right-wing). (Trent starting is perhaps one of the things that will age poorly from this article, but it's an assumption given that so far Mourinho deploys him only if Arda is not on the wing with him.) Inter are very deep this year, and they have a lot of options off the bench, and Chivu also has some headaches to figure out because of his deeper roster. He rotated against Napoli, and one of the key game-changers off the bench, Curtis Jones, may start tonight, and for good reason. He's a really gifted midfield controller who can win balls in midfield, escape pressure, and pass at an elite clip. If he starts, Nico Barella could sit. And then there's also Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Piotr Zieliński. Inter's strength is their midfield, and that will suit them just fine given that Real Madrid are depleted there with suspensions to Silva, Güler, and Eduardo Camavinga. But Inter are also missing a key piece: Federico Dimarco. Dimarco is vital in Chivu's scheme as someone who can bomb up the left-flank (and could've potentially punished Trent's defensive positioning) while putting in deadly balls across goal. Dimarco was essentially built for a 3-5-2 system, and his loss is huge for Inter. On the Real Madrid side of things, I'm very intrigued with how Mourinho will set up the midfield, and, to be clear, I'm actually more intrigued (rather than worried), because the suspensions force a shake-up, namely, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde are the best double-pivot options at this stage on paper, which means Brahim Diaz can play the 10 (something he did regularly at AC Milan), and Yan Diomande can get his first start alongside Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe — a sneak peak at what feels like the inevitable front-three for the next few years. I will never be concerned about Bellingham playing as an 8. He is elite there. What I predict will happen, though: Bellingham will have a great game in midfield, and a lot of people won't see it because he won't have a goal or assist to show for, despite doing a ton of important things. That's how football analysis works, unfortunately. There is one small chance I'd keep an eye on (but would be surprised to see): If Mourinho wants to keep Bellingham as the 10 for continuity purposes, he could also plug in Jorge Cestero alongside Valverde, which is risky, for obvious reasons. I would be even more surprised if Aurelien Tchouameni or Thiago Pitarch — both in the matchday squad — start given their fitness levels. But, I am prepared for this article to age horribly one way or another. Enjoy the match tonight, and congratulations to Daniel Yañez who put Inter Milan's youth team in a blender earlier today.