Champions League: Bayer and Inter are Almost There

Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter Milan

Sixth hosts second at the BayArena on Tuesday when Bayer Leverkusen welcome Inter Milan for a tasty Champions League clash.

The Italians are one of only three teams to remain unbeaten after five games, alongside Liverpool and Atalanta, while Die Werkself have won three, drawn one and lost one; and the hosts can draw alongside I Nerazzuri with a win. Both teams come into the game in superb form; Xabi Alonso’s Bayer beating St Pauli 2-1 to make it five victories on the bounce, while Simone Inzaghi’s Inter beat Parma 3-1; and both have hopes of defending their domestic titles.  

Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan are each close to qualification for the Champion League knockouts and can take a huge stride when they meet. Momentum is everything and neither side will be prepared to concede anything on Tuesday, and that makes this match a compelling prospect.  

 

Talking Points

Wirtz makes Leverkusen work

He’s one of the hottest properties in world football right now and Germany winger Florian Wirtz has picked up where he left off last term, after a spectacular Bundesliga campaign. He has already scored five goals, scoring the first in the win over St Pauli and Wirtz has made four assists in the league, teeing up the goal for Patrik Schick in a recent 2-1 win away to Union Berlin. He has five goals in the Champions League already, scoring twice in a recent 5-0 drubbing of Red Bull Salzburg and, still only 21, the Germany star has become Die Werkself’s most feared player; and that is in a team stacked with creative muscle, with Schick, Victor Boniface and former Burnley star Nathan Tella all in the attacking group.

Tella scored the only goal in the recent DFB Pokal win over FC Bayern and he made a start against St Pauli, but he might make way for Robert Andrich for the visit of Inter Milan and be used as an impact sub. Wirtz is a flexible player, able to play out wide or through the middle, and he could push forward to lead the line, in which case there could also be a return for right wing utility player Jeremie Frimpong to balance the front line.

But wherever Wirtz is playing…just try to keep him out of the Champions League 2024 highlights on Tuesday; that’s the task facing Inzaghi’s Inter. 

 

Bastoni doubtful for Inter

The visitors may well be preparing to face Wirtz and co without star defender Alessandro Bastoni, who limped off the pitch late on in the win over Parma. According to the Italian football press the 25 year old Azzurri man could make the squad for the trip to Leverkusen but he is unlikely to be in the starting line-up. He felt some tightness in his thigh and Inzaghi will be careful not to risk aggravating the injury. Matteo Darmian replaced Bastoni and he may well get the nod for the starting spot, though he did score an own goal in his cameo appearance on Saturday.

Up front Inzaghi has a decision to make as well, with captain Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi the likely starters, though France striker Marcus Thuram is enjoying his best season so far, his ten goals making him second to Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui in the race for the Capocannoniere. But Thuram has not made the starting eleven in the Champions League since the opening round goalless draw with Manchester City.           

Inter Milan showed just how destructive they can be in a 5-0 demolition of Hellas Verona two weeks ago, Thuram scoring twice, but they followed that up with an edgy 1-0 win over Red Bull Leipzig, relying on an own goal courtesy of Castello Lukeba. Inzaghi needs to get things right at both ends of the pitch if he is to maintain Inter’s 13 match unbeaten run.

 

History

Inter Milan have won all three of their encounters with Leverkusen, though they have met just once over the last 20 years, a 2-1 win for I Nerazzurri in the 2020 Europa League quarter-finals.    

In terms of recent form there is nothing to choose between the two teams who have each won five and drawn one of their last six matches in all competitions. 

 

Betting Tip

The latest Champions League 2024 betting odds rate both Inter and Bayer as likely quarter-finalists, ranked seventh and eighth as potential winners of the competition at odds of 17.00 and 23.00; so SBOTOP tips don’t get much trickier than this!

Leverkusen are at a price of 2.06 to win the game with the draw at 3.29 and Inter Milan are at 2.95. I can see a 1-1 draw but a winner for either team would be a huge stride towards the knockouts.  

   

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