Champions League: Inter Milan Hope to Flip the Script Versus Real Madrid

Inter Milan vs Real Madrid

When these two teams met in the Champions League group stage last season, Real Madrid proved to be the stronger side against Inter Milan.

Inter Milan and Real Madrid are grouped together once more in Group D. Last season, the two of them alongside Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach were in Group B, but the only difference now is that the Foals are replaced by minnows Sheriff Tiraspol.

Los Blancos achieved a double against the Nerazzurri and Inter Milan eventually faltered by finishing fourth in the group, so the hosts are avoiding the same scenario when they lock horns anew at San Siro this Wednesday.

A look at the SBOTOP betting odds point to the visitors getting the three points for this fixture, but they’ll have to earn it the hard way against the hosts.

Talking Points

Overhauled Inter Milan are doing well

Since winning the Champions League in the 2009/10 season, Inter Milan have only advanced from the group stage two times, and have qualified for the tournament just five times.

After breaking their Scudetto drought last season, the Nerazzurri’s repeat bid got off to a great start with solid wins against Genoa and Hellas Verona via an aggregate tally of 7-1.

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There were questions on how Inter Milan would cope with the loss of their talisman Romelu Lukaku but their new additions have fared well so far.

Alongside Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan can rely on Edin Dzeko and Joaquin Correa to provide the goals and all of them are expected to create Champions League 2021 highlights.

But while they should have no problems up front, their 2-2 draw against Sampdoria showed that their backline needs to tighten up especially against the top teams in Europe.

It doesn’t help that the young Alessandro Bastoni is considered a doubt for this game since the centre-back picked up an injury during the international break few weeks ago.

For the meantime, Simone Inzaghi will rely on their back three of Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij, and Federico Dimarco, while Matteo Darmian and Ivan Perisic will reprise their roles as wing-backs.

Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, and Hakan Calhanoglu should keep their places in central midfield but they have a bigger responsibility of covering for their back-three.

Real Madrid are undermanned again

Gareth Bale to miss Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter due to injury — After suffering a hamstring injury, Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrid’s game against Inter Milan

Injuries are nothing new for Real Madrid since they’re an aging squad, but they should remain a force to be reckoned with given their rich history in this competition.

Los Blancos were happy to have given their loyal fans a good show during their recent La Liga victory versus Celta Vigo, which was the first game played at the Santiago Bernabeu in over 18 months.

Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick in the 5-2 win and he was joined by Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr. The talismanic Frenchman is showing no signs of slowing down, so Los Blancos will continue to rely on him to supply the goals.

Vinicius Jr. is also in great form and he’ll link up with Eden Hazard on the wings since Gareth Bale is dealing with a serious hamstring injury, while the precocious Eduardo Camavinga will log in more minutes than expected to partner with Luka Modric and Casemiro in the middle.

Other notable players that are on the infirmary are: Luka Jovic (gastroentiritis), Ferland Mendy (leg), Dani Ceballos (ankle), Toni Kroos (groin), Marcelo (adductor), and David Alaba (muscular overload).

History

Inter Milan and Real Madrid have split their 11 head-to-head meetings prior to this upcoming game with five victories apiece along with one draw.

The Nerazzurri have lost four of their last five games against Los Blancos in European competition and their last win against a Spanish side in this tournament dates back to 10 years ago versus Barcelona, where the Jose Mourinho-coached squad eventually went all the way.

Meanwhile, Los Blancos have won 12 of their last 13 games against Italian sides in this competition, with their only loss dating back to 2018 against Juventus.

However, they’ve only won once in their previous eight road matches against Inter Milan (D2, L5, W1).

Betting Tip

	Inter Milan vs Real Madrid	1X2 Draw @ 3.45
	September 16, 03:00 (GMT+8)

The Champions League 2021 odds see a close affair between these two European powerhouses.

Given that they’re the hosts, Inter Milan are slightly favoured to win 2.49 while Real Madrid are pegged at 2.66 in the 1×2 market.

We do expect some goals that are to be scored. But in the end, we see Inter Milan and Real Madrid share the spoils in what will be a mouthwatering clash between two talented sides on Wednesday.