The "Champions" Race... Kicks Off on Tuesday
- Mariscia takes charge of his first Champions League match with City against Porto
A new chapter in the UEFA Champions League begins on Tuesday evening, bringing back the nights of glory with all their weight and excitement, as six matches kick off the new unified group stage. However, all eyes are on the anticipated clash between Spanish giants Real Madrid, led by Portuguese manager José Mourinho, and his former club, Italian side Inter Milan. Meanwhile, Portuguese club Porto will host English visitors Manchester City, in a matchup featuring two teams that have started the season perfectly in their respective domestic leagues.
At Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, in his second stint with Real Madrid, Mourinho begins the journey of the competition’s most successful club (with 15 titles) against Inter, whom he led to a historic treble of the Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia in 2010, becoming the first Italian team to achieve this feat, before leaving to join Real Madrid in his first spell at the club.
Mourinho’s second period in Madrid started smoothly with three wins in three matches, but the team suffered its first defeat on Friday, falling 1-0 to Real Betis.
Absences will be a key factor in Real Madrid’s calculations, as the team will be without French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, Turkish forward Arda Güler, and Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva due to suspension, while there are doubts over the availability of French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni due to muscle pain. This could prompt Mourinho to rely on English midfielder Jude Bellingham and Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde in the center of the park.
On the other hand, Inter enter the match under Romanian coach Cristian Chivu with high morale after securing maximum points from their first three Serie A matches against Monza, Cagliari, and Napoli.
Inter are looking to regain their European shine after coming close to winning the title in recent years, but they have lost the final twice in the last four editions. They also suffered two heavy defeats: a 5-0 loss to French side Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 final, and a surprising exit to Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt last season.
Inter also remain burdened by a persistent curse against Real Madrid, having not beaten the Spanish side since 1998. They have lost their last four meetings, including the last three without scoring a single goal.
Inter enter the match with a near-full squad, missing only Federico Dimarco through injury and new signing English defender Jayden Spencer, who is still regaining his physical fitness after an injury of unspecified nature.
At the Dragão Stadium, the match between Porto and visitors Manchester City holds special significance for the latter, who are playing in the competition for the first time since the 2015-2016 season, and without their former Spanish manager Pep Guardiola, having handed responsibility to Italian Enzo Maresca.
Maresca takes charge of his first Champions League match with City, having previously led Chelsea to win the UEFA Europa Conference League in the 2024-2025 season. He also managed the London side in six Champions League matches in the second half of 2025, securing three wins, one draw, and two defeats.
City started the season with a heavy 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, but quickly regained their balance with three consecutive Premier League wins against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Coventry City.
Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the match against Coventry, reaching his 300th career goal, while Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma played a key role in maintaining the lead against Coventry, helping his team secure a clean sheet for the first time this season across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Porto return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, making their first appearance in the competition since the 2023-2024 season, when they were eliminated by Arsenal in the round of 16 via a penalty shootout.
Porto have started the season under the guidance of coach Francesco Farioli with an ideal run, having defeated Torino 1-0 in the Portuguese Super Cup, followed by five consecutive league victories, scoring 11 goals while conceding just one.
In other matches, Belgian club Club Brugge face English side Aston Villa, Greek team AEK Athens take on Austrian club LASK Linz, French side Lille play against Spanish team Real Betis, and German club Borussia Dortmund face Spanish side Villarreal.
