Inter will hope to register a win and progress to the Round of 16 of the Champions League when they meet RB Salzburg in Austria tonight.
Salzburg suffered a narrow loss in the reverse fixture at the San Siro. Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring in the 19th minute the Austrians responded through Oscar Gloukh’s equaliser in the second half. However, the visitors couldn’t grab a hold of the math and Hakan Calhanoglu thumped in the winner from the spot.
Since losing to Inter during the final week of October, Die Roten Bullen have remained unbeaten in the league, registering a win each from their last three matches. Currently, they sit top of the Austrian Bundesliga table, two points adrift of second-placed SK Sturm Graz.
Meanwhile, Inter will be able to progress to the knockouts tonight if they manage to grab the three points. It would be providing them with some breathing space in the competition as they already have a thick line of fixtures coming up.
After getting held by Real Sociedad in their Champions League opener, the Nerazzurri have won their last two games with a one-goal margin each time. Simone Inzaghi’s men have made a strong start to the season and they are now two points clear at the top of the pile.
Inter fans have found a lethal attacking duo in the partnership of Lautaro Martinez and new signing Marcus Thuram this campaign. The team have scored a total of 27 goals till now this term and also possess the best defensive record in the league jointly with Juventus, conceding only six goals.
Results from their last five matches across all competitions
Salzburg:
W W W L L
Inter:
W W W W D
Team News
Salzburg will be without the likes of Bryan Okoh, Justin Omoregie, Lukas Wallner, Fernando, Kamil Piatkowski, Aleksa Terzic, Dijon Kameri and Maurits Kjaergaard.
Mads Bidstrup will join Luka Sucic and Lucas Gourna-Douath in the midfield.
As for Napoli, Benjamin Pavard will join Juan Cuadrado and Marko Arnautovic on the treatment table.
Matteo Darmian is expected to be called into action.
Davide Frattesi and Alexis Sanchez are vying for a starting spot tonight.
Predicted XIs
Salzburg (4-3-1-2): Schlager; Dedic, Solet, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Gourna-Douath, Bidsrup, Sucic; Gloukh; Simic, Konate
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Frattesi, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
