Real Madrid v Inter Milan – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Real Madrid faces Inter Milan in Group D of the UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos need a draw to secure the top spot in the group whilst Inter needs a win to leapfrog the Spanish giants. Real Madrid won the reverse fixture 1-0 in Italy in September after an 89th-minute goal. This match sees the top scorers in La Liga face the top scorers in Serie A.

Real Madrid Form

Carlo Ancelotti has Madrid in outstanding form with ten wins in their last 11 matches. They’ve won all three of their Champions League matches in that run. In La Liga, a 0-0 home draw with Osasuna in the only match where they failed to take three points.

This run of form has seen a 2-1 win away at Barcelona and a 2-1 home victory against Sevilla as Vinicius Junior scored a late winner. They followed that with a 1-0 home victory against Athletic Bilbao. Their most recent match was a 2-0 win away at Real Sociedad. Vinicius Junior and Luka Jovic scored the goals.

Real Madrid Team News

Ancelotti remains without midfielder Dani Ceballos due to injury. Fede Valverde has returned from injury and has boosted options in the engine room. The big news is that Karim Benzema hobbled off at Real Sociedad and will miss the next couple of matches. Luka Jovic may lead the line having scored in the last match.

Gareth Bale has returned to training but this match comes too soon for him. Eden Hazard is also back but is again only expected to be on the bench. Ancelotti has a very settled side with the only other change expected at right back. Lucas Vazquez could come in with Dani Carvajal to get a breather.

Real Madrid Motivation

Real will want to top the group and also keep their momentum and form going. However, they have a massive match against Atletico Madrid on Sunday in La Liga so Ancelotti could have one eye on that with his substitutions and team selection.

Madrid would be quite satisfied to get the draw they need to progress, with a win just a bonus.

Inter Milan Form

Inter have been brilliant of late and have still lost just once all season in Serie A. The defending champions have closed the gap to the top of Serie A to just a single point after a run of seven wins in eight matches. After a 3-2 home win against Napoli, they won consecutive matches 2-0.

Their most recent match saw a superb display to thrash Roma 3-0 away from home. Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored direct from a corner, with Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries also on target. In Europe, the side has won three in a row having taken just one point from their opening two matches. Their last match saw Edin Dzeko net a brace against Shakhtar Donetsk in a 2-0 win.

Inter Milan Team News

Simone Inzaghi has a couple of injuries to deal with for this match. Joaquin Correa went off injured against Roma and misses out, reducing attacking options. Matteo Darmian has a hamstring problem so Denzel Dumfries should keep his spot with Ivan Perisic as a left-wingback.

Andrea Ranocchia is injured at center-back but wouldn’t have started anyway. Lautaro Martinez was an unused sub against Roma but should return to partner Edin Dzeko otherwise it’ll be Alexis Sanchez. Italian media is reporting that Stefan De Vrij will return after a knock on international duty has ruled him out of late.

Inter Milan Motivation

Inter have already qualified. A win would see them top the group whilst a draw or defeat would see them finish second.

Inzaghi faces Cagliari on Sunday so is expected to name his strongest XI and try to win this match. Inter has been very attacking and free-flowing this season and won’t park the bus.

Key Stats

Real Madrid have won 10 of their last 11 matches

Real have scored 37 goals in 16 La Liga matches (2,3 per match)

Los Blancos are 17 home La Liga matches unbeaten (W12, D5)

Inter Milan have scored 39 Serie A goals this season (most in division)

Inter have lost 1 of their last 17 Serie A matches

Inter have scored in their last 36 league matches

Real won 1-0 at Inter in the reverse fixture

Verdict

This match pits the leading scorers in La Liga and Serie A against each other. You’d hope there would be goals but Real probably has enough to at least avoid defeat to top the group.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.55
Multiple Leg: Real Madrid win/draw double chance + over 2.5 goals at 2.45
Correct Score Tip: Real Madrid 2-1 Inter at 9.00
Goalscorer Tip: Vinicius Junior anytime scorer at 2.50

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis