Brahim Diaz starts for Real Madrid as Jose Mourinho reshapes midfield against Inter Milan

Brahim Diaz has been named in Real Madrid’s starting XI for their UEFA Champions League meeting with Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Jose Mourinho making a significant midfield change because of three suspensions.

Diaz will lead the home side’s attack alongside Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior as Real Madrid begin their campaign in the opening round of the competition’s first stage.

Mourinho has been forced to alter his plans in midfield after Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler were ruled out through suspension. Their absences have led him to select Trent Alexander-Arnold in the centre of the pitch.

Real Madrid’s starting line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

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

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

Forwards: Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe

The selection places Diaz in a prominent attacking role, with the Morocco international starting alongside two of Real Madrid’s principal forwards and Bellingham.

Mbappe and Vinicius Junior provide the other two attacking options in the line-up, while Bellingham is included in the midfield three despite the absences that have prompted Mourinho to use Alexander-Arnold in a new position.

Inter Milan will be led in attack by Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. The Italian side’s team has been named by head coach Cristian Chivu for the fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Inter’s starting line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Josep Martinez

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, Benjamin Pavard

Midfielders: Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Jones, Carlos Augusto

Forwards: Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram

The match brings together two of European football’s leading clubs in the first round of the UEFA Champions League’s opening stage.

For Real Madrid, the headline team news is Diaz’s inclusion from the start and the reshaped midfield required by the suspensions of Silva, Camavinga and Guler. Alexander-Arnold is therefore selected centrally, with Valverde and Bellingham completing the midfield.

Inter, meanwhile, will rely on the partnership of Martinez and Thuram in attack, with Chivu naming a side featuring Barella and Calhanoglu in midfield and Bastoni and Pavard among the defenders.

The contest will take place at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, where Mourinho’s side will open their European campaign against Chivu’s Inter Milan.