Mourinho explains Real Madrid line-up at Roma

Jose Mourinho has outlined his reasoning behind Real Madrid's selections for their Champions League clash at the Stadio Olimpico, a return to the club where he became a hero by winning the Conference League trophy. He was sacked by Roma in January 2024 and now returns as an opponent on the Real Madrid bench. The match kicks off at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).

Speaking to Movistar+ in Spain, Mourinho said his plan was to stop Roma pressing high up the pitch. "My intention is to avoid them pressing us too high, as they press man on man like nobody else, so we'll see if we manage to take advantage of this situation," he said. "Otherwise, they'll have to drop 5-10 metres back."

Former Roma defender Dean Huijsen has been left out in favour of another ex-Giallorossi player, Antonio Rudiger. Mourinho backed the central pairing of Rudiger and Ibrahima Konate, who started together in the last game.

"Rudiger and Konate played very well together in the last game, they showed great leadership skills and resistance in a difficult situation, when we were down to 10 men for 30 minutes.

"That doesn't mean Dean doesn't have the quality to play a game like this, but it's a special atmosphere for Roma and a tough one for us. I think Antonio's experience can be valuable."

Vinicius suspended for El Clasico

Real Madrid also received difficult news just over an hour before kick-off, when Vinicius Junior was handed a four-match LaLiga ban for the hair-pulling incident in the 1-0 win over Villarreal. The Brazilian will therefore miss El Clasico against Barcelona, although the club has already confirmed it intends to appeal the sanction.

Mourinho was openly critical of the timing of the announcement. "Why did they announce this and make it public less than two hours before a very important match for a Spanish team?" he asked, with a hint of sarcasm. "You should ask the disciplinary committee why they didn't do it this morning, or tomorrow morning. It is inevitably going to affect the player."

Background

Earlier reports had flagged a possible ban of between two and four matches following the red card Vinicius received after a VAR review disallowed his goal against Villarreal. Those reports were speculative at the time; the four-match suspension is the sanction now reported by the source article.