Preview
Real Madrid, the most successful club in UEFA Champions League history, kick off their campaign for a record-extending 14th European crown on Wednesday, with the Spanish giants gearing up for a highly-anticipated 3 p.m. ET showdown. Inter Milan will be their opponents on Matchday 1, with the iconic San Siro stadium set to be the venue for this tie as both sides look to get things off with a win.
The Nerazzurri have come a long way since their last UEFA Champions League success back in 2010. The Italian giants suffered through many lows after the departure of Jose Mourinho until the arrival of Antonio Conte sparked an upturn in their fortunes.
The Italian tactician first took the Milan giants back into the UEFA Champions League and while he oversaw a group-stage exit last season, finishing bottom of their group, Conte led the club to their first Serie A title in 11 years. Despite all of this, question marks linger over the Nerazzurri and their European credentials, especially given the exodus that took place over the summer.
After a falling out with the board, Antonio Conte quit and was soon replaced by Simone Inzaghi. This move left several fans upset, but sadly, things only went from bad to worse following that managerial change. Achraf Hakimi, one of the most highly-rated full-backs in world football, was sold to PSG in an attempt to stabilize the behind-the-scenes financial crisis and while no other departures were promised, Romelu Lukaku ended up leaving for Chelsea soon after for an astronomical $135M deal.
In the blink of an eye, Inter Milan's title-winning manager and top scorer left the club. While there are uncertainties over Inzaghi and Edin Dzeko, who was brought in to replace Lukaku, the Scudetto holders have enjoyed a respectable start in their title defense, winning all but one of their Serie A fixtures so far. Unfortunately, that sole slip-up came in their most recent outing, twice throwing away a one-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Sampdoria.
Similar to their opponents, Real Madrid have gone through a summer makeover. The club's successful and long-serving center-back partnership of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane came to an end, with the earlier joining PSG for free and the latter leaving the Bernabeu for Manchester United. Zinedine Zidane, the manager who led Los Blancos to three UCL crowns in a row, departed the club, with Carlo Ancelotti returning to the Spanish capital to replace the Frenchman.
Eduardo Camavinga was signed over the summer and enjoyed an excellent debut, scoring in his first game for Los Merengues en route to a 5-2 triumph over Celta Vigo. That was Real Madrid's third win of the season, having dropped points only once in four outings. Will the Spanish giants make it back-to-back wins when they face Inter Milan? Don't miss this showdown.
Team news
Inter Milan: Stefano Sensi is out with a knee injury while Alessandro Bastoni, having recovered from a thigh issue, might not be rushed back. Dimarco will thus deputize while summer signing Edin Dzeko is expected to spearhead the attack alongside goalscoring machine Lautaro Martinez.
Real Madrid: Marcelo and Ferland Mendy are out due to injuries but David Alaba is back and in contention to start on Wednesday. Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos are all unavailable for Ancelotti, meaning the newly-signed Camavinga will likely start alongside Luka Modric and Casemiro in midfield.
Key stats
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These two European giants will face off in the group stage for the second season in a row.
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Last season, Real Madrid won both home and away against Inter Milan, beating them 5-2 on aggregate.
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The Nerazzurri have lost four out of their last five encounters with Los Blancos.
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However, Los Merengues have only triumphed once in their last eight trips to Inter.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
