Real Madrid News
Opponent watch: Key Inter Milan defender set to miss Real Madrid clash
Real Madrid will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign for the 2026/27 season with a home game against Inter Milan tomorrow night at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Heading into the contest on the back of a La Liga loss to Real Betis, the Merengues will be eager to produce a strong reaction and pick up all three points against manager Jose Mourinho’s former employers.
Leading up to the game, Real Madrid have welcomed some positive news on the fitness front as Aurelien Tchouameni appears set to be available for the first time this season.
No Federico Dimarco for Inter Milan
However, Inter Milan are set to travel to Spain without one of their most important players for the Champions League encounter.
Indeed, according to Matteo Barzaghi of Sky Sport Italia, Federico Dimarco will not be a part of the Nerazzurri squad that will take on Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The left-back suffered a mild knee sprain over the weekend in the game against Napoli, leading to him being taken off by manager Cristian Chivu at the hour mark.
The 28-year-old Italian international started today’s training session with the rest of the group, leading to the possibility that he would be a part of the squad that flies to Madrid to take on Los Blancos.
However, as per the journalist, after the session it was decided that Dimarco will not be a part of the Inter Milan roster for the Champions League clash.
The Italian left-back is not being left behind because his condition worsened, but it is a decision made to not take any risk with his recovery.
As such, Dimarco will remain in Italy and continue working to be at his best for the Serie A champions’ next game.
A key player for Inter
With Dimarco set to miss out, Inter Milan will be without an important player for their fixture against Real Madrid.
The 28-year-old wing-back featured 47 times across all competitions last season, racking up a total of eight goals and 18 assists, playing an important role in the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto success.
This term, he has started all three of their Serie A matches, even registering one assist.
In his absence, Carlos Augusto could step in as Inter Milan’s starting left wing-back against Real Madrid.
In a season where Real Madrid have largely struggled to keep pace with leaders Barcelona, Arda Guler has been one of the few bright sparks.
Despite his limited minutes, the Turkish international has shown that he is capable of becoming a first-team regular for Los Blancos, especially at a time when others, including Vinicius Jr. are struggling to make an impact.
Guler was notably named in Real Madrid’s five-player star of the month for September and the player could soon be rewarded with a contract extension as well.
New contract for Arda Guler
According to AS, Guler has agreed terms for a new deal at Real Madrid, in what could be the club’s first major renewal for the new season.
The young Turk’s current deal at the Bernabeu expires in 2029. But the renewal will ensure his future at the club at least until 2031.
The new contract will effectively acknowledge Guler’s growing role in the Real Madrid first-team and include a salary-increase.
The negotiations between the two parties had started last month and has now come to fruition, with Guler more than happy to continue his chapter at Real Madrid.
He also joins a long list of Real Madrid players with long-term contracts, including Yan Diomande, Vinicius Jr., Marc Cucurella, Aurelien Tchouameni and others.
An important season ahead
With the contract likely to be finalised soon, Arda Guler’s main goal will be continue to his form when the season restarts next weekend.
The forward has been involved in four goals in seven matches this season. With Vinicius and Diomande struggling for form, the Turkish international will have an excellent opportunity to become a regular starter for Jose Mourinho throughout the course of the campaign.
Mourinho, for his part, must identify how to get the best out of both Guler and an in-form Jude Bellingham. If the two can somehow work together in the final third, Real Madrid could find themselves dominating most matches.
