Inter Milan started the Serie A in great form but have fizzled out recently, while Salzburg have been dominant in the Austrian League this campaign again.
Salzburg have maintained great consistency in their league games this season. The Austrian side has been getting superb results in the 10-week-old league.
Die Roten Bullen racked up several wins as the season got underway, with Hartberg, Rapid Vienna, Sturm Graz and Co. being taken down by their exquisite football.
Surprisingly, the defending champions dropped points for the first time when they were beaten at home by BW Linz. That defeat came just days after their group opener in the UEFA Champions League against Benfica in Portugal – Rooney Simic and teenage sensation Oscar Gloukh got the goals to help the champions claim a 2-0 win.
In addition, Salzburg continued to progress in the Austrian Cup as they thumped Austria Salzburg 4-0 to move into the next round. Another routine win over Lustenau in the league kept them in the top three before they lost 2-0 to Real Sociedad in their second UCL game.
On the other hand, Inter Milan made a solid start to the new league season. The Inter side, who had maintained an impressive 100% percent record, eventually lost to Sassuolo at the San Siro on match day six – the last side to taste defeat in the Serie A this season.
Meanwhile, the Nerazzuri began the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Monza at the San Siro before another routine win against Cagliari in their second league game.
Inter Milan thumped Fiorentina 4-0 in one of their biggest wins to signal their intentions to fight for the Serie A title this season. Skipper Lautaro Martinez grabbed a brace, while summer signing Marcus Thuram, who is fast becoming a crowd favorite, got a goal in the one-sided contest at San Siro.
Inter hosted Milan in the first Milan derby of the season, and Simeone Inzaghi’s men prevailed with ease. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Thuram orchestrated a 5-1 demolition for the Red and Blacks.
In their UEFA Champions League opener against Real Sociedad, Inter, who were second best throughout the contest, found a way to avoid a defeat after Lautaro Martinez scored a late equalizer. Another hard-fought 1-0 win over Empoli followed upon their return to the Serie A. Federico Dimarco scored the game’s only goal to help Inter stay on top.
Inter lost to Sassuolo at home before a 4-0 thrashing of Salernitana. Martinez scored all four goals to lead his side to victory. Back in the UCL, Inter edged Benfica 1-0 to claim their first three points in the group.
In the Serie A at San Siro, Inter let a two-goal lead slip as Bologna held them to a 2-2 draw just before the international break.
On the part of Salzburg, it is their fifth consecutive campaign in the group stages of the elite competition, and they started with a win at Benfica but needed help to build on that win when they hosted Real Sociedad. With this being their second home game, they will hope for a better result.
Based on last season’s run, Inter Milan is considered one of the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League, and they are expected to top this group. They have shown their credentials in their opening two games.
Inter defeated Die Roten Bullen to win the Europa League (then UEFA Cup) back in 1994, and they have not met in any competitive game since then. However, in the recent friendlies played, the Italians won both matches, indicating their dominance over the Austrians.
Match Tickets
The epic match at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg kicks off on Wednesday 8th November, at 9 PM UK time, and it will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting from around 8 PM.
Everything about the UEFA Champions League is remarkable, and it will be a massive night for the 30,188-capacity stadium to host former UCL winners and last year’s finalists.
Expect Inter Milan fans, by their position in this competition, to be there in their numbers to support their side in this game, and the Salzburg fans will try to help their side secure a win.
Getting tickets for Salzburg vs Inter Milan match tickets could take a lot of work, given the peculiarity of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team News
Line-ups
Salzburg have a long list of players missing for a while now. Diambou, Fernando, Guindo Okon, and Justin Omoregie all have varying degrees of injuries, while Wallner and Yeo have been sidelined with separate ankle injuries. Maurits Kaergaard is another name in the physio’s room, but manager Matthias Jaissle will be keen to see his side fight for all three points.
- Salzburg: Schlager; Dedic, Pavlovic, Baidoo, Terzic; Kjaergaard, Courna-Douath, Bidstrup, Gloukh; Simic, Konate.
Inter has no major injury concerns going into this UEFA Champions League game. Juan Cuadrado and Stefano Sensei could make a return to the squad. However, Marko Arnautovic is not expected back in the team until late November, but Inter still have enough firepower to win this contest.
- Inter Milan: Sommer; Bastoni, Acerbi, Darmian; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.
Prediction
Salzburg lost their first home game of the 2023/24 UCL to Real Sociedad and needs a top performance to avoid a second successive home loss in this elite competition.
Salzburg have little experience as far as this competition is concerned, unlike the Inter team. However, they can dream if they can cause a huge upset here.
Regarding potential goalscorers, Martinez is the first name on the list for Inter, having scored 11 goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season. Karim Konate has been doing it for Salzburg this campaign as well.
- Salzburg 1-2 Inter Milan
