Real Madrid vs Inter Milan
Real Madrid and Inter Milan have had rough starts to their Champions League campaigns. The two European giants were big favourites to emerge from Group B, but they surprisingly find themselves in the bottom half of the group after failing to pick up a win in their first two games.
They will now meet in Madrid for the first of their back-to-back meetings, and both teams will be desperate to pick up all three points.
However, the Champions League 2020 betting odds will be against the Nerazzurri, who will come into the match in awful form and could be without their talismanic striker.
Talking Points
Real get key star back
Real Madrid are having some serious problems in the Champions League. They’re currently in last place in Group B after picking up just one point in their first two games against the two weakest teams in the group: They suffered a shock 2-3 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk and needed a late fightback to get a 2-2 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Real’s defence — which played a major role in reclaiming the La Liga crown last season — has looked shaky in Europe, especially on the counterattack. And on the other end, their attack has continued to struggle in front of goal.
That frustration finally boiled over in the Gladbach match, where Karim Benzema made Champions League 2020 news after he was caught blasting young Brazilian team-mate Vinicius Jr. However, manager Zinedine Zidane has come out and said the two have already sorted things out.
Benzema seemingly put the whole issue behind him in their 4-1 home win over Huesca this past weekend as he bagged a brace and added an assist. The French forward is finally getting back to his best after a slow start to the season; he has three goals and two assists in his last three games.
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard got his first start of the season and scored a fantastic goal — his first for the club in 392 days. That’s certainly a promising sign for Real, who could definitely use Hazard’s quality in attack after his injury-plagued first season at Madrid.
Inter still struggling for form
Inter Milan have some major issues at the moment. The Nerazzurri are in awful form, having won just one of their last six matches, with four draws — including two in the Champions League — and a loss in the Milan derby. Even in the match they won — 0-2 away to Genoa — they were not particularly impressive.
They went two goals down at home to a struggling Parma side over the weekend and needed an injury-time equaliser from Ivan Perisic to salvage a 2-2 draw.
Star striker Romelu Lukaku missed that match due to a thigh strain, and his fitness for their trip to Madrid remains in doubt.
Lukaku’s absence would be a huge blow for Inter. The Belgian has been in outstanding form for the Nerazzurri this season with seven goals in seven games. He had scored in five straight games for club and country prior to Inter’s goalless draw against Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
If Lukaku does miss out, Inter will need Lautaro Martinez to finally step up. After a hot start to the season, the Argentine striker has cooled off significantly and has failed to score in his last five games.
Meanwhile, Inter remain lacking in the defensive solidity which has been manager Antonio Conte’s calling card in his career. They’ve kept just two clean sheets in their eight games thus far this season.
Although, the return of centre-back Alessandro Bastoni to the line-up after he was rested in the Parma match should help their defence.
History
Real Madrid and Inter have surprisingly crossed paths just twice previously in the Champions League. They met during the 1998 group stage, where the home team won both matches.
Although, they have faced off 15 times in total. Inter hold the slight edge over Real in terms of overall wins, 7-6.
This match will also be the first meeting between Zidane and Conte as managers. The two were team-mates during their playing days at Juventus.
Betting Tip
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Real Madrid vs Inter Milan | 1X2 Real Madrid @ 1.92 |
| November 04, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Real Madrid priced as 1.92 favourites at home, with Inter at just 3.40. Those odds likely would’ve been lower if Lukaku were fit and expected to play.
But he’s not, which gives Los Blancos a significant edge. Inter already had their issues even with Lukaku banging in the goals, and they figure to be in more trouble with their star striker unlikely to take advantage of Madrid’s own problems, particularly in defence.
Meanwhile, Real should have just enough firepower, especially with Benzema in fine form, to get past a leaky Inter backline en route to a much-needed home win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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