Man City vs. Inter Milan: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Wednesday night, Manchester City will host Inter Milan, winners of Serie A, in the first Champions League match of the 2024–25 season at the Etihad Stadium.

The last time these two sides met on a European stage was in the 2023 Champions League final when Rodri scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 Citizens triumph in Istanbul to help them achieve an unprecedented triple. This will be their first meeting since then.

Previous Matches and head-to-head

On Saturday, a united and diligent Brentford squad tested Man City's flawless start to the new season. Only one Premier League club has a 100% record after four matches.

Yoane Wissa stunned the Etihad faithful 22 seconds into the game by heading the Bees ahead after a mistake by John Stones. Despite several opportunities for the visitors to double their lead, the Citizens took a 2-1 lead thanks to a ruthless finish by Erling Haaland just before halftime.

With his double shortly after the half-hour mark, Haaland completely changed the tide of the match. He has nine goals for the season, a new Premier League record, and scored 99 goals for Man City in only 103 appearances in all competitions.

After their impressive undefeated streak at the Etihad Stadium came to an end against Inter on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola's squad will play three home games in as many competitions in the next seven days, taking on Arsenal in the Premier League and Watford in the EFL Cup.

Manchester City will be looking to get off to a good start in the expanded Champions League with a win over Inter. Coming into this week's match, City have won their last 23 Champions League matches. Suppose City can avoid defeat in their first two matches this season (against Inter on October 1 and Slovan Bratislava on October 1). In that case, they will tie Manchester United's record for the longest unbeaten streak in the competition's history, 25 matches between 2007 and 2009.

Inter Milan lost their third straight Serie A match last weekend, 1-1 away to Monza, after defeating Lecce and Atalanta BC by an aggregate score of 6-0.

When Dany Mota headed the hosts into an unexpected lead in the 81st minute, it appeared like the Nerazzurri would suffer their first loss of the season. However, Denzel Dumfries scored an equalizer for the visitors seven minutes later to rescue a point for the reigning Italian top-flight champions.

The loss left head coach Simone Inzaghi feeling "disappointed" and lamenting his team's many lost chances, especially in the first half. Now his players have the daunting chore of preparing for this week's Champions League match against Manchester City and Serie A match against AC Milan, two of their fiercest opponents.

With a perfect record of 11 wins and 6 losses in their past 16 Champions League fixtures, Inter will enter Wednesday's meeting with confidence. But in their previous nine seasons competing, the Italian powerhouses have only gotten out to a winning start once.

Inter travel to Etihad Stadium for vengeance against Man City after their 2023 Champions League final heartbreak. They have won away against four different English clubs in the competition (Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool). They are aiming to join the ranks of Barcelona (seven), Real Madrid (five), and Bayern Munich (both five) as the only teams to win away against at least five different English teams.

Manchester City x Inter Milan

City are still missing Oscar Bobb (broken leg) and Nathan Ake (muscle injury), who will be out until after the next international break in mid-October, which Man City must endure.

After sitting out last time as a substitute, Phil Foden will be vying for a starting role. At the same time, star lynchpin Rodri will likely get his first start of the season from Guardiola after 45 minutes of involvement in the victory against Brentford.

No one is surprised to see Haaland starting up front again, especially considering his incredible goal-scoring record of 41 in 39 Champions League games. Guardiola has some decisions to make, like starting Rico Lewis at right back instead of Josko Gvardiol and keeping Kyle Walker at right back, and at centre back, there's a battle for the starting job between Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and John Stones.

Inter will be without their lone injured player, dynamic wideout Tajon Buchanan, who suffered a broken tibia while playing for Canada at the Copa America this summer.

Alessandro Bastoni, a defender, Hakan Calhanoglu, a midfielder, and Nicolo Barella, who returned from sinus surgery to see last week's game as an unused replacement, are among the crucial players that Inzaghi is likely to bring back.

Captain Lautaro Martinez has not scored in three appearances this season, but Marcus Thuram, who has four goals and two assists in four Serie A games, is expected to keep his starting spot up front.

Our Predictions

Manchester City @1.55 on Sky247.ng

Both teams are legitimate contenders for Champions League glory, so expect a tight matchup at the Etihad. However, Man City is the clear favourite due to their outstanding home record.

If Haaland's current record in the final third persists on Wednesday, the hosts should find a way to overcome, even though the Citizens have been surrendering goals in recent weeks, which speaks well for Inter. Guardiola's side have relied on Haaland to score goals.

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