Round 3 of the Champions League group stage will signal the halfway point and it’s Inter vs RB Salzburg on Tuesday at San Siro. Group D is extremely well-balanced and so the hosts are looking to take the advantage here. Inter are hoping to build on their 1-0 victory over Benfica last time out.
Making their fifth consecutive appearance in the Champions League group stage, Austrian outfit Salzburg will be no pushovers when they head to Milan on Tuesday night. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi is prepared for a difficult match against an aggressive side that will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss at home to Real Sociedad in their last European outing.
Just one point separates Sociedad, Inter and Salzburg in Group D so the clash here will prove to be a significant one towards qualification. The Italian outfit are aiming to qualify for the knockouts for the third successive season, whilst Salzburg have reached the last 16 just once in their history. It’s time to get into our Inter vs RB Salzburg preview.
Inter Preview
The Nerazzurri are unbeaten from their opening two Champions League matches. They drew 1-1 away to Spanish side Real Sociedad before picking up their first European triumph of the campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to Benfica.
Having suffered just one defeat across all competitions thus far, Inter are a force to be reckoned with. Could they go a step further this season and lift the Champions League trophy? For all the strengths that Inter have displayed so far, it is clear that they still have plenty of room to improve, however.
In spite of dropping points in two of their Serie A matches so far, Inzaghi’s side remain atop the standings. They recorded a comprehensive 3-0 win away to Torino at the weekend, courtesy of goals from Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu. That meant Inter were able to bounce back from their 2-2 stalemate against Bologna at San Siro prior to the international break.
One To Watch: Marcus Thuram
Thuram has impressed since his move from Borussia Mönchengladbach over the summer and the Frenchman has filled the void of Romelu Lukaku’s departure excellently. Despite only scoring three Serie A goals this term, he has provided five assists and has complemented Martinez perfectly up top. The 26-year-old also bagged the winner against Benfica in Inter’s most recent Champions League outing.
RB Salzburg Preview
Salzburg’s 2-0 Round 1 triumph away to Benfica was the perfect opening to their European campaign. Nevertheless, Gerhard Struber’s men have been inconsistent since and have suffered three defeats over their last seven competitive matches. That includes a 2-0 loss at home to Sociedad in their last Champions League match.
The Austrian champions cruised to the title last term but, having already recorded two league defeats this season, it looks as though Salzburg will have a much harder task at retaining their crown. Die Roten Bullen are without a victory over their last three competitive matches and lost 1-0 at home to LASK at the weekend.
Picking up a result at the San Siro over last season’s Champions League finalists will certainly be a way to get things back on track for Salzburg. It will certainly be a daunting task, though, as they are yet to record a single victory this month. Their last win came at the end of September in a 4-0 triumph away to Austria Lustenau.
One To Watch: Karim Konate
Teenage talent Karim Konate leads the Austrian Bundesliga goal scoring charts for Salzburg with five goals to his name from 11 appearances. The 19-year-old looks set to be the next talent to come out of the Red Bull franchise but has failed to hit the back of the net over his last three games. Fellow forward Roko Simic will be a threat as well.
Head-to-Head
Inter and Salzburg have met just twice in competitive action when they faced off in the UEFA Cup final back in 1994. The Nerazzurri won both legs 1-0 almost 20 years ago to win the title for the second time in their history.
Inter vs RB Salzburg Potential Lineups & Team News
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Davide Frattesi, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram
Inzaghi has stated that their will be plenty of rotation with his team for Tuesday’s affair due to injuries and players needing a rest. Alexis Sanchez is ready to feature, though, after failing to come off the bench against Torino and the veteran could be pushing for a start. Martinez and Thuram remain the preferred option, however, especially with Marko Arnautovic still on the sidelines.
Juan Cuadrado’s return from injury was short-lived and the Colombian has picked up another issue which will see him miss out here. Denzel Dumfries only featured off the bench at the weekend so he could come back into the line-up ahead of Matteo Darmian.
RB Salzburg (4-3-1-2): Alexander Schlager; Amar Dedic, Samson Baidoo, Strahinja Pavlovic, Aleksa Terzic; Maurits Kjaergaard, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Nicolas Capaldo; Oscar Gloukh; Karim Konate, Roko Simic
Despite failing to start in Europe so far, Argentine midfielder Nicolas Capaldo could be in line to make the line-up since Mads Bidstrup missed the LASK fixture due to illness. Konate and Simic are expected to start up top.
Salzburg are dealing with a host of selection issues ahead of the match here with the likes of Fernando, Daouda Guindo, Sekou Koita, Bryan Okoh, Justin Omoregie, Kamil Piatkowski and Lukas Wallner all set to remain on the sidelines due to injury.
Inter vs RB Salzburg Prediction
The home side are in much better form than their opponents and should be taking the three points here. Salzburg have simply not been good enough of late and the superior quality in the Inter team should see them pick up the victory, especially with home advantage.
Inter 2-0 RB Salzburg