Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid Face a Crisis That Could Derail Their Season

Real Madrid could be missing up to five natural midfielders for Tuesday's Champions League league phase opener against Inter Milan.

Following a promising start to his return to the Bernabéu, manager José Mourinho is looking to bounce back from a surprising 1–0 loss to Real Betis at the weekend, while also facing the daunting challenge of hosting the Serie A champions.

His situation is considerably more difficult than it looks on paper, with a significant void in midfield that is almost certain to affect the fluidity of his side.

The Real Madrid Midfielders Missing or Doubtful for Inter Clash

Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva has yet to feature in a Champions League match for Real Madrid, and that won't be changing this week. The Portuguese international is suspended after receiving a red card during his last outing in the competition — which, ironically, came against Real Madrid themselves.

Silva was shown the first red card of his distinguished career after being judged to have deliberately handled the ball in the penalty area just 20 minutes into the second leg of Manchester City's round-of-16 exit to Madrid back in March.

Arda Güler

Expected to develop into a deeper midfielder as his career progresses, Arda Güler is unavailable to provide cover here as he is also serving a suspension.

During Madrid's quarterfinal elimination by Bayern Munich last season, the Turkish playmaker was shown two stoppage-time yellow cards for dissent, earning himself a one-game ban.

Eduardo Camavinga

Mourinho has shown considerable trust in Eduardo Camavinga this season, naming the Frenchman in the starting lineup for Madrid's last two matches. Unfortunately for the scrutinized midfielder, that run is about to end.

Ten minutes before Güler's dismissal against Bayern, Camavinga had also been sent off, picking up a yellow card for a foul before receiving a second for timewasting. He too must serve a one-match suspension.

Aurélien Tchouaméni

Aurélien Tchouaméni's inclusion in the squad is not guaranteed, and it would be a major surprise to see him thrust straight into the starting eleven after spending nearly a month on the sidelines with a muscle problem.

Tchouaméni returned to training on Sunday, but having missed all of preseason, a place on the bench seems to be the most realistic outcome for him.

Thiago Pitarch

Much like Tchouaméni, 19-year-old Thiago Pitarch has been absent all season due to injury, having been on the sidelines for the past six weeks.

The youngster impressed as an emergency option during Álvaro Arbeloa's tenure last season, but he may need another week or two to regain full fitness before being considered a genuine candidate for playing time.

The Midfielders Available to José Mourinho

Mourinho fields two midfielders in his 4-2-3-1 formation, yet has only one senior option at his disposal. Federico Valverde has started all four matches under the new manager and looks certain to complete another 90 minutes as captain.

The spot alongside Valverde remains a major question mark.

Should Mourinho want a natural midfielder, he will need to turn to the youth ranks. Leading the queue could be 20-year-old Jorge Cestero, who has accumulated just 114 senior minutes to date.

Also registered in the squad are 18-year-old Diego Villalba, who is yet to make his senior debut, and 19-year-old summer arrival Sergio Martínez, who made two La Liga appearances for Racing Santander prior to his move to the Bernabéu.

With those options in mind, Mourinho may look to think outside the box. Attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham seems the most likely candidate to be deployed in a deeper role, despite having impressed further up the pitch this season.

Much has been discussed regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold's potential in a midfield role. The right back was handed some central duties during preseason, though that arrangement relied on fellow right back Denzel Dumfries operating as a winger to make the system function. Such an approach would be quite unexpected in this fixture.

Center back Dean Huijsen is another possible emergency solution, though pulling him from defense would require Antonio Rüdiger to partner Ibrahima Konaté. While that pairing itself isn't a concern, it would leave Madrid without a natural senior center back among the substitutes.

"I could spend a long time discussing this, but I'd rather be straightforward with you," Mourinho said at Monday's pre-match press conference. "The schedule has determined that this game be played under these conditions. That's the reality we face.

"We have three, four, five possibilities. We could sit here and go through all of them, but ultimately, I'm not going to reveal anything."