Real Madrid use Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield as Inter name Lautaro Martinez in Champions League opener

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has selected Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield to cover for a depleted central area in the Champions League league phase meeting with Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler are all unavailable for the Spanish side after being suspended because of accumulated bookings from last season.

The match is scheduled to begin at 22:00 at Real Madrid’s home stadium in the Spanish capital, with both clubs opening their campaigns in the first round of the league phase.

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu has named Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez as his front two for the Italian side.

Real Madrid and Inter line-ups

Real Madrid start with Thibaut Courtois in goal.

Their defence consists of Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella.

Alexander-Arnold lines up in midfield alongside Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham, while Ibrahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe form the attack.

Real Madrid’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defence: Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella

Midfield: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham

Attack: Ibrahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe

Inter name Josep Martinez in goal.

Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck and Benjamin Pavard make up the three-man defence, with Carlos Augusto, Curtis Jones, Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella and Andy Diouf in midfield.

Thuram and Lautaro Martinez lead the attack.

Inter’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Josep Martinez

Defence: Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, Benjamin Pavard

Midfield: Carlos Augusto, Curtis Jones, Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, Andy Diouf

Attack: Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez

Real Madrid’s remaining league-phase fixtures are against Arsenal away, PSV Eindhoven at home, Roma away, RB Leipzig at home, Shakhtar Donetsk away, LASK at home and AEK Athens away.

Inter will face Liverpool at home, Real Madrid away, Club Brugge at home, Borussia Dortmund away, Shakhtar Donetsk at home, Feyenoord away, Stuttgart at home and Slovan Bratislava away.

This is the third season in which the Champions League is being played under its new format, with 36 teams involved.

Each club plays eight league-phase matches, split equally between four home games and four away games.

The eight highest-ranked teams qualify automatically for the last 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 16th enter play-offs against sides placed from 17th to 24th, with the winners taking the remaining eight places in the knockout stage.

Following a draw, the teams finishing ninth and 10th are paired with one of the clubs in 23rd or 24th place, with the same system applied to the remaining positions.

Paris Saint-Germain are the reigning Champions League holders, having won the competition in each of the previous two seasons.