Mourinho's Real mission begins with Inter reunion

When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan for Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, he was at the peak of his powers. He had just guided the Nerazzurri to a historic treble – clinching Serie A, lifting the Coppa Italia, and beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu. Days later, his move to Madrid was finalised. Now, 16 years later, the 63-year-old begins his second stint at Real Madrid with a poetic opener, kicking off the record 15-time winners' Champions League campaign against Inter this Wednesday at the Bernabeu. Since parting ways, neither Mourinho nor Inter have replicated that 2010 European glory. Mourinho failed to win the Champions League during his first three-year spell in Madrid, though he famously disrupted Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in Spain. After leaving in 2013, he primarily contested lower-tier European competitions, winning the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United and the 2022 Conference League with Roma. Meanwhile, Inter have reached two subsequent Champions League finals, falling to Manchester City in 2023 and getting thrashed by PSG in 2025. Last season, both clubs disappointed in Europe. Inter suffered a shock playoff exit to Bodo/Glimt, while Real were eliminated by Bayern, following a 2025 quarterfinal knockout by Arsenal. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez pulled Mourinho from the relative wilderness this summer after Los Blancos went two seasons without a major trophy. While successors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane delivered six European Cups in a remarkable 10-year span (winning three each), Real's grip has recently slipped. Mourinho's primary mandate is to return the club to the European throne and prevent Luis Enrique's PSG from securing a third consecutive title. Domestically, both teams have had mixed starts to the current campaign. Inter have shown few signs of weakness in their Serie A title defense, taking nine points from nine against Monza, Cagliari, and Napoli – the latter requiring a dramatic 3-2 comeback sealed by an injury-time Lautaro Martinez winner. Conversely, Mourinho's Real started smoothly with three straight victories before suffering their first LaLiga defeat, falling 1-0 to Real Betis on Friday. Despite their strong league form, Inter arrive in Spain searching for their first victory over Real Madrid this millennium. Since a 3-1 triumph in late 1998, they have lost four consecutive meetings to Los Blancos, failing to score in the last three. Wednesday's clash will serve as an early litmus test. Can Mourinho restore Madrid's European dominance by beating the very club where he last reached the pinnacle? Real Madrid face an availability crisis. Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, and Bernardo Silva are suspended, while Eder Militao, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy, and Thiago Pitarch are out injured. With Aurelien Tchouameni doubtful and others awaiting fitness tests, Jude Bellingham may drop into a deeper midfield role alongside Federico Valverde. Inter, meanwhile, arrive almost fully fit, missing only Djed Spence. Following a game-changing cameo against Napoli, manager Cristian Chivu may start Curtis Jones over Petar Sucic.