Roma vs Real Madrid: Preview, team news, stats and where to watch

UEFA Champions League,
League phase – 2nd

AS Roma
ROME

14/10/2026
20:00

Real Madrid
REA

Olympic Stadium

Francois Letexier

Where to watch Roma-Real Madrid: TV and online broadcasts

Rome versus Real Madrid kicks off at 20:00 BST (21:00 local time) on Wednesday 14 October at the Olympic Stadium. In the UK, you can watch it on TNT Sports and stream it via HBO Max.

If you live outside the UK, click LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.

Before Roma-Real Madrid

There will be no shortage of excitement at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night. Jose Mourinho, the man who delivered the Conference League to Roma in 2022, returns to the Eternal City in charge of Real Madrid, and faces a very different Roma side to the one he left behind.

Gian Piero Gasperini has built a team unbeaten in Serie A, two points behind champions Inter, and widely regarded as genuine title contenders. They showed their resilience on Sunday, holding Como to a 0-0 draw despite playing the entire second half with 10 men after Donyell Malen was sent off for a reckless challenge on Kaiki.

“Now ours is a different team, very different from the one that played under Mourinho,” Gasperini said. “It is a team that is giving me great satisfaction, because even today we need great morale, great physical shape and a great amount of heart to play like this in Como.”

Europe has been a different story, however. Roma drew 1-1 at Fenerbahçe on matchday one, extending their winless streak in European competition to four games. His record against Madrid is not encouraging either, with four consecutive defeats in which he has failed to score. The Olimpico are a stronghold on Champions League nights, though, and Roma have won eight of their last nine home games in the competition.

Madrid arrives after another spectacular weekend. Yan Diomande scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win against Villarreal on Saturday, keeping Mourinho’s side six points clear of leaders Barcelona. But the win was overshadowed by Vinícius Júnior, who came off the bench, had a goal disallowed and then was sent off after a VAR review saw him pull Nathan Saliba’s hair in the build-up.

Madrid got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Bernabéu.

The Champions League table

News of the Roma-Real Madrid team

Gypsies have problems in key areas. First-choice goalkeeper Mile Svilar is out with a non-displaced fracture of his right little toe, so Pierluigi Gollini, who impressed in his first La Liga appearance in more than two years at Como, will continue in goal.

Captain Bryan Cristante is a major doubt with inflammation in his right knee. If he misses out, Marten de Roon is expected to continue alongside Manu Koné, with Niccolò Pisilli another option. Konstantinos Koulierakis is also sidelined with a leg injury.

Malen’s red card in Como was domestic, so Serie A’s top scorer is available to face Madrid.

Kylian Mbappé is fit to start after recovering from the knee problem he suffered in France, having started against Villarreal, although Madrid are still managing his minutes. Federico Valverde, whose sprained ankle in the Madrid derby had been a major concern, played against Villarreal and set up Diomande’s winner.

Vinícius is also available, because his red card only affects La Liga games. That means the Sevilla game and the Clásico on October 25 are in jeopardy, but not this trip.

Éder Militão is back in group training after his thigh injury, but Mourinho has ruled him out of this game and the Sevilla game. Rodrygo (knee) is not expected to return until early 2027, Raúl Asencio (tibia) is out for up to four months and Ferland Mendy (ligament) is still unavailable.

Expected lineups for Roma-Real Madrid

Rome: Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, De Roon, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; intelligent

Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Rüdiger, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Valverde; Diomande, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappé

Roma-Real Madrid statistics

Prediction Roma-Real Madrid

Roma will be dangerous and Real Madrid have looked vulnerable at times this season, especially away from home. But we like Mourinho to make a victorious return to the Olympics.

AS Roma

1-2

Real Madrid