Federico Dimarco ruled out for Inter's trip to Real Madrid

Federico Dimarco will miss Inter's opening Champions League fixture away to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night, left out of the squad as a precaution rather than through any new setback.

The left-back picked up a mild sprain to his left knee in Saturday's 3-2 win over Napoli at San Siro. He felt discomfort before the break, returned for the second half wearing a large support strap, and still had time to set up Lautaro Martínez for Inter's second goal before asking to come off in the 62nd minute.

Scans have ruled out anything serious. Dimarco trained with the group on Monday, Inter's last session on home soil before flying to Madrid, which briefly raised hope he might travel. Manager Cristian Chivu opted against the risk and has left him in Milan to complete his recovery.

Carlos Augusto takes his place at left-back. He too had a hand in Saturday's comeback, setting up Marcus Thuram for the goal that made it 2-2 after replacing Dimarco.

Dimarco's absence is a blow to Inter's attack. He finished last season with a record 18 assists, more than Papu Gómez's previous best of 16 for Atalanta in 2019-20, and added seven goals of his own.

Real Madrid go into the game off a La Liga defeat to Real Betis, though they have some fitness news of their own: Aurelien Tchouameni is set to be available for the first time this season. Lautaro Martínez, whose goal against Napoli Dimarco teed up, turned down interest from Barcelona over the summer to stay at Inter and captain the side into this campaign.

Without their leading creator from wide, Inter may lean more on Lautaro and Thuram through the middle at the Bernabéu, with Carlos Augusto asked to provide from the left what Dimarco normally supplies.