Carlo Ancelotti will start his bid for a record fourth Champions League title, and a second with Real Madrid, on familiar ground when he takes his side to San Siro on Wednesday to face Italian champions Inter Milan. Ancelotti won the first two of his three Champions Leagues while in charge of city rivals AC Milan and will be eager to put one over on his old foes, now managed by Simone Inzaghi following the departure of Serie A-winning coach Antonio Conte.
Conte was not the only high-profile departure during the summer as Inter held a fire sale to balance the books. Romelu Lukaku, whose goals played no small part in a first Serie A title in a decade, left for Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi went to PSG. Matteo Politano departed for Lazio and Antonio Candreva joined Sampdoria. Inter banked the fees and spent frugally, bringing in Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian and Zinho Vanheusden for a combined €31m. Lautaro Martínez was heavily linked with a move but elected to stay while Edin Dzeko arrived to fill the Lukaku-shaped void.
But Inter are still Inter and Madrid enjoy playing Italian sides, picking up 41 wins in all competitions from 78 games and winning 13 of their last 14 since the last victory for a Serie A side back in 2015 when Juventus scored a 2-1 win in the Champions League semi-finals.
Given Madrid’s scramble to find defensive cohesion this season after the departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane, and the absence of Ferland Mendy and Marcelo from Ancelotti’s squad, goals can be expected in San Siro. When the sides met at the same stage last season Madrid recorded 3-2 and 2-0 victories that helped them through to the last 16 after two defeats at the hands of Shakhtar complicated their group stage campaign. Ancelotti will be hoping for more of the same on his old stomping ground.
What time does Inter Milan-Real Madrid kick-off?
The 2021/22 Champions League Group D opening game between Inter Milan and Real Madrid kicks off at San Siro, Milan, at 21:00 (CEST) on Wednesday 15 September.
US ET: 15:00
US PT: 12:00
UK: 20:00
For everywhere else in the world, you can check here to see what time the Inter Milan-Real Madrid match gets underway.
Where can I watch Inter Milan-Real Madrid?
If the Champions League game is available in your country, you can check here to see what channels or platforms will be showing the game.
United States: Paramount+, TUDN App, Galavision, Univision NOW, TUDN.com
United Kingdom: BT Sport App, BTSport.com, BT Sport Extra, Talksport 2 Radio UK
Is the Inter Milan-Real Madrid game available online?
The San Siro clash is available in most nations through the rights holders’ online platform, if they have one. The best option is to check who is showing the game in your country and if they have an online service or iOS/Android app to watch it on.
Inter Milan-Real Madrid live on AS English
You can also follow our live text commentary here on AS English. We will be building up to the match an hour or so from kick-off before giving you a minute-by-minute account from San Siro as the action unfolds.
