Inter will look to get off the mark in the newly formatted Champions League main phase when they take on Crvena Zvezda at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday. Simone Inzaghi’s team will take the field in a buoyant mood after steadying the ship in Serie A at the weekend.
Davide Frattesi’s opener after only 40 seconds handed Inter the lead against Udinese before Lautaro Martinez’s double inspired them to a 3-2 win at the Bluenergy Stadium. In addition to bouncing back from a frustrating derby loss to bitter rivals Milan, the Nerazzurri welcomed their skipper back to the scoresheet for the first time this season.
Lautaro’s talismanic presence in attack was lacking in round one as Inter held Manchester City to a spirited 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Now that he’s back at his best, the Argentine forward bids to lead the defending Serie A champions to their first European win this season against a Crvena Zvezda side they last met in 1981.
Inter avoided defeat in both matches that year (W1, D1). The odds suggest they’ll do that again, even though their visitors take this trip in high spirits after a thumping 4-0 league win against arch-rivals Partizan Belgrade and a 2-1 triumph against Serbian SuperLiga minnows Zeleznicar Pancevo.
Despite their long-standing dominance in domestic football, the Red-Whites have struggled on the continental front, as most recently evidenced by a 2-1 home defeat to Benfica in their curtain-raising Champions League fixture.
Match Preview
Inter
In addition to avoiding defeat in both previous meetings with Crvena Zvezda, Inter have got the better of Partizan twice since Serbia gained independence in 2006. Heavily fancied to maintain their impressive record against Serbian opposition, Inzaghi’s men return to Giuseppe Meazza, where they only lost once in the last two Champions League seasons.
A 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the 2022/23 group stages remains the only blemish on Nerazzurri’s near-faultless ten-game home form at Europe’s top table (W7, D2). Inter have won their opening two league matches at Meazza this term before slumping to a late 2-1 loss against Milan last time out.
While they enter this fixture as odds-on favorites, Inter must be wary of an unwanted piece of history. Indeed, they’ve failed to keep back-to-back clean sheets at the start of a Champions League season since 2005. But with both their home league wins this term coming ‘to nil,’ chances are they’re going to rewrite history on Tuesday.
Crvena Zvezda
Looking to upset the apple cart in Italy, Crvena Zvezda head into proceedings amid a decent-looking start to the 2024/25 campaign (W9, D1, L2). Dejan Milojevic’s men have been lethal in front of goal, netting 31 across those 13 outings while only conceding nine in return.
However, both of the visitors’ competitive losses this season have come in the Champions League. Before Benfica’s narrow triumph in Belgrade, Bodo/Glimt squeaked past Crvena Zvezda 2-1 in Norway in the first leg of their qualification playoff tie, which Milojevic’s side won 3-2 on aggregate.
Another defeat looms on Tuesday, with the Red-Whites lamenting an embarrassing historic record against Italian clubs (W3, D10, L14). On a more positive note, four of their last five encounters against Serie A opposition have ended level.
Team News
Nicolo Barella has joined long-term absentee Tajon Buchanan on the sidelines after suffering a thigh injury against Milan. But other than the two of them, Inter boss Inzaghi will have the rest of this star-studded squad fit and ready.
As for Crvena Zvezda, Ognjen Mimovic and Vladimir Lucic are not in contention for this clash due to injuries. The visitors will turn to Stuttgart loanee Silas to offer them a spark in the front third alongside tricky winger Felicio Milson from Angola.
Inter vs Crvena Zvezda Potential Line-ups
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Piotr Zielinski, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Mehdi Taremi, Lautaro Martinez.
Crvena Zvezda (4-2-3-1): Omri Glazer; Young-woo Seol, Nasser Djiga, Uros Spajic, Milan Rodic; Rade Krunic, Timi Max Elsnik; Silas, Mirko Ivanic, Felicio Milson; Cherif Ndiaye.
Inter vs Crvena Zvezda Prediction
Inter would be well-advised not to take this contest lightly. Crvena Zvezda showed their capacity to cope with Europe’s finest with a gutsy 2-1 defeat at Manchester City in last season’s Champions League group stages. Since they’ve gone unbeaten in all 43 subsequent matches in which they opened the scoring, Inter would want to avoid a slow start.
We expect Inzaghi’s team to put three points on the board, but this may not be a walk in the part as the odds are suggesting.
Prediction: Inter to Win
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