Etihad Stadium forms the backdrop for a handsomely-looking Champions League round-one meeting between Manchester City and Inter. Wednesday’s revenge-poised clash is a repeat of the 2023 final, with the Nerazzurri looking to erase the memory of a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat in Istanbul.
Rodri’s goal at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium crushed Inter’s dream of winning their fourth Champions League title, inspiring Manchester City to their first and only title in Europe’s most prestigious club tournament. Fast forward two years and the teams will meet again in the newly formatted League Phase.
Pep Guardiola’s high-flyers will take the field in high spirits. After winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League trophy last term, the Cityzens have shown no signs of slowing down. They’ve won all four opening league outings by an aggregate score of 11-3, largely thanks to Erling Haaland’s red-hot form.
The Norwegian goalscoring machine has netted nine of City’s 11 Premier League goals this term, single-handedly scoring more than any other team in England’s elite division. Therefore, Inter must pay close attention to Guardiola’s talismanic striker if they’re to return from the northern shores undefeated.
Like their hosts, Inter won their domestic championship last season. However, their title-defending campaign has lacked conviction thus far, with Simone Inzaghi’s side winning just half of their first four league matches (W2, D2). Denzel Dumfries’ 87th-minute equalizer rescued a point for the Scudetto holders at Monza on Sunday, bolstering the team’s morale ahead of this mouth-watering road trip.
Match Preview
Manchester City
Real Madrid denied Manchester City a chance to become only the second team in the 21st century to defend their Champions League crown in 2023/24. Los Blancos squeaked past Guardiola’s charges on penalties, curtailing their continental run in the quarter-finals. Yet, they couldn’t beat the Cityzens in regulation.
Indeed, the English heavyweights haven’t tasted defeat in 90 minutes across their last 23 Champions League fixtures (W16, D7), highlighting their unparalleled dominance on multiple fronts. However, Serie A clubs have often been Man City’s Achilles heel, as evidenced by City’s unenviable record of just five wins from their last 13 such games (D5, L3).
It’s worth noting, though, that four of those five victories came in their last five encounters against Italian adversaries (D1). On top of that, Guardiola enters the new Champions League campaign with the best win ratio among managers to have taken charge of 50+ matches in Europe’s elite club competition (64%).
Inter
Despite Inter’s unconvincing Serie A start, they’ve been impressive in Europe of late, losing just three of their last 20 Champions League clashes (W11, D6). Inzaghi’s team will hope to build on that record at the Etihad, with a piece of history potentially waiting in the wings.
Inter must defy the odds to take three points in Manchester. But if they do so, they’ll become only the fourth club along with Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, to secure wins away at five different English teams in the Champions League proper. That’s perhaps easier said than done, considering they’ve drawn their last three away league games in the build-up to this trip.
Adding to this sentiment, Inter lament a negative all-time record against English opposition (W16, D6, L19). However, the reigning Scudetto holders did win on their last visit to England, squeaking past Liverpool 1-0 in March 2022, courtesy of Lautaro Martinez’s superb strike.
Team News
Manchester City cannot call upon Dutch defender Nathan Ake and Norwegian prodigy Oscar Bobb for this fixture. However, with Savinho back to full fitness and returnee Ilkay Gundogan seamlessly slotting in, Guardiola’s men look as formidable as ever.
As for Inter, Stefan de Vrij is back after missing out on the opening three Serie A matches. The Dutchman’s return leaves Canadian wingback Tajon Buchanan as the only notable absentee in the traveling camp. After making numerous squad changes against Monza, Inzaghi hopes fresh legs could help his side endure the upcoming storm.
Manchester City vs Inter Potential Line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Savinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Federico Dimarco, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, Matteo Darmian; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
Manchester City vs Inter Prediction
Despite Inter’s unbeaten Serie A start, Manchester City are in far better shape, and it’s hard to envisage anything other than the home side’s comfortable win.
Prediction: Manchester City to Win
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