Mourinho locks in his 22 for Real Madrid clash

According to Football Italia, Mourinho has officially confirmed a 22-player squad ahead of Inter's Champions League fixture against Real Madrid. Worth flagging: the report's own headline describes it as Mourinho confirming a 'Real Madrid squad', which makes no sense for a manager who works at Inter. Taken at face value, this is Inter's 22 for the tie, but the source itself is muddled on that point and doesn't name a single player.

The report doesn't spell out who's in and who's missing from that 22, nor does it mention injuries or suspensions shaping the list. What it confirms is simply that a squad has been submitted, nothing more. For a manager as fond of squad-management theatre as Mourinho, that's still worth noting: he's made his call before Real Madrid have said a word about theirs.

Two clubs, one unclear report

Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid have yet to release any equivalent teamsheet or squad list of their own for this fixture, at least according to what Football Italia has put out. Until either club confirms a starting XI or full squad breakdown, the useful read stays narrow: Mourinho has made a decision on his 22, the source describing it can't keep straight which club it belongs to, and Real Madrid haven't shown their hand yet.