Mourinho faces a “big problem” in midfield

José Mourinho said he was “happy” one day before Real Madrid suffered its first defeat of the season. He was also preparing for what he called a “big problem”: suspensions have removed Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva from the squad for the Champions League opener against Inter Milan.

Inter will visit the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, giving Real Madrid its first major European test after the 1-0 loss to Betis. The defeat followed a promising start, including 4-1 and 4-0 victories over Real Sociedad and Málaga.

Camavinga and Güler were suspended after Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich last season. Camavinga received two yellow cards within eight minutes, in the 78th and 86th minutes, with the tie level. Bayern then scored twice to reach the semifinals, where Paris Saint-Germain eliminated them.

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The decision drew strong protests from Real Madrid’s players. Güler was later sent off for his complaints to Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, after Bayern had scored both goals. The Turkish midfielder had appeared set for a starring role after scoring Real Madrid’s first two goals, but finished the match eliminated and dismissed.

Bernardo Silva’s suspension comes from the previous Champions League campaign with Manchester City. In the second leg of the round of 16, after Real Madrid had won the first match 3-0, Silva handled Vinícius’ shot beneath the goal and received a straight red card. Vinícius converted the resulting penalty.

Those three dismissals in their last Champions League appearances now leave Mourinho without three of his five first-team midfielders. The absences arrive as Real Madrid tries to respond to its first setback after two seasons without a trophy.

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