Jose Mourinho will be the centre of attention tonight when he returns to Roma with Real Madrid.

The Portuguese delivered the Conference League trophy to the Giallorossi in 2022 and remains a popular figure in the Italian capital. He will encounter a different Roma side, however.

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

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

Madrid arrive after another dramatic weekend. Yan Diomande scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday, keeping Mourinho’s side six points behind leaders Barcelona. But the win was overshadowed by Vinícius Júnior, who came off the bench, had a goal ruled out and was then sent off after a VAR review spotted him pulling 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.

Where to Watch Roma v Real Madrid: TV and online streams

Roma versus Real Madrid kicks off at 8pm BST (9pm local time) on Wednesday, October 14 at the Stadio Olimpico. In the UK, you can watch it on TNT Sports and stream via HBO Max.

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

Stats for Roma v Real Madrid

• This is the sides’ 13th fixture; Madrid have won eight of the previous 12 to Roma’s three. Victories at home (3-0) and away (2-0) in the last meetings, in the 2018/19 group stage, made it four successive Madrid wins without conceding, and five victories in the teams’ six games in Rome (L1). 
• Roma have only two wins in their last 11 matches against Spanish clubs (D4 L5) but have lost only two of their last seven home matches against Liga visitors (W3 D2). They beat Athletic Club 2-1 in the last, in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg, but lost the return 1-3.
• A 2-1 home success against Inter, another of Mourinho’s former clubs, on Matchday 1 made it 20 wins in Madrid’s last 22 games against Italian clubs (L2). 
• Madrid have won their last nine away games against Serie A sides, most recently 3-2 at Atalanta on Matchday 6 in 2024/25.