Europe’s best teams are on the march again, fighting for the biggest pie in club football. It is the UEFA Champions League, whose group stage begins today with two former champions, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, setting the championship aflame on the opening day.

Jose Mourinho, who led the Nerazzurri to their first triumph in the Champions League era in 2010, is the man tinkering with Real Madrid to a possible return to the top of the competition they last won in 2024.

Searching for their 16th title, Real Madrid will take Inter Milan to the Bernabéu pitch for the first time since its recent redevelopment.

Inter and Real Madrid have met 19 times, with seven Nerazzurri victories, ten wins for Real Madrid and just two draws. Their first encounter was the legendary 1963/64 European Cup final at the Prater in Vienna, the night that cemented the greatness of La Grande Inter. The Nerazzurri won 3-1 thanks to a Mazzola brace and a goal from Milani.

The sides met again in the European Cup during the 1960s, with Real Madrid progressing from the 1965/66 semi-final and Inter prevailing in the quarter-finals the following season.

During the 1980s, Real Madrid vs. Inter became a true European classic, with another European Cup semifinal, a Cup Winners’ Cup quarterfinal and two consecutive UEFA Cup semifinals.

The fixture returned to Europe’s premier competition during the 1998/99 Champions League group stage. Real Madrid won 2-0 in Seville before the Nerazzurri claimed an unforgettable 3-1 victory at San Siro, inspired by Roberto Baggio’s brilliance.

Real Madrid won all four of the most recent meetings, which took place during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Champions League group stages, although none were played at the new Bernabéu. The 2020 fixture was held at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano in Valdebebas, while Inter visited the Bernabéu in 2021 when the stadium was still undergoing redevelopment.

Real Madrid begin their latest Champions League campaign with lofty ambitions after undergoing a major overhaul during the summer.

The most notable change came in the dugout, where José Mourinho has returned for a second spell after previously coaching Los Blancos between 2010 and 2013. The former Nerazzurri boss, who led Inter to the Treble in 2009/10, will face his old club for the seventh time in his career. Mourinho can call upon several high-quality new arrivals, with Konaté joining from Liverpool, Cucurella from Chelsea, Bernardo Silva from Manchester City, Yan Diomandé from Leipzig and Espí from Levante. Denzel Dumfries has also moved to Madrid and will immediately come up against Inter, where he spent the past five seasons.

English referee Michael Oliver will take charge of Real Madrid vs. Inter on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League Phase.

Other games slated for today include the clash in Greece between AEK Athens and Austria’s LASK, Club Brugge of Belgium against Aston Villa, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund versus Villarreal of Spain, as well as the clash in France between Lille and Real Betis.

The last game of the day will see the rejuvenated Manchester City travelling to Portugal to meet Porto.