Mourinho’s Real Madrid Return: Can He Win the Champions League Again?

José Mourinho will begin his latest Champions League campaign with Real Madrid against a familiar opponent when Inter Milan visit the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday.

The fixture carries extra significance for Mourinho. He guided Inter to the Champions League title in 2010, completing a historic treble, with that final victory taking place at the same Bernabéu stadium where he will now lead Real Madrid against his former club. Mourinho also won the competition with Porto in 2004.

Now back in Madrid for a second spell, the Portuguese manager faces a very different challenge. Real Madrid endured another trophyless season before bringing Mourinho back, and expectations are naturally high at a club that has won the European Cup or Champions League a record 15 times.

Mourinho, however, insists he is not approaching the new campaign as an attempt to correct what happened during his first spell. He has said the past and present are separate, pointing out that Real Madrid have developed significantly since he left the club in 2013.

The Champions League remains particularly important because it is the major European trophy Mourinho did not win during his first tenure at Madrid. He reached the semi-finals three consecutive times between 2011 and 2013 but could not take the club to the final.                                                                          

                             

Tuesday's meeting with Inter offers an intriguing test of how quickly Mourinho can impose his ideas on his new team. Real Madrid have already suffered their first defeat of the campaign, losing 1-0 to Real Betis, although Mourinho has remained confident about the team's progress.

Inter also bring a personal connection for Mourinho. Cristian Chivu, who played under him during Inter's historic 2009-10 season, is now the Italian club's manager. Mourinho described Chivu as someone with whom he shares a special history, although he made it clear that friendship will be put aside once the match begins.

The statistics also favour Real Madrid. They have won their last seven home meetings with Inter and have won six of their last seven encounters overall.

For Mourinho, though, the bigger question will be whether his experience can translate into another deep Champions League run. He enters the competition with more than 160 Champions League matches as a manager and two titles already on his CV, giving him one of the most experienced European records among this season's coaches.

Mourinho has played down the idea that Tuesday's match will define his return. The new Champions League format gives Real Madrid eight league-phase matches, meaning there is a long road ahead before the knockout rounds.

Still, a strong performance against Inter would provide an early indication of whether Mourinho can once again build a Real Madrid side capable of competing for the biggest prize in European club football.

For now, the spotlight returns to the Bernabéu, where Mourinho's past with Inter meets his new chapter at Real Madrid.