Red Bull Salzburg will host Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, looking for a crucial win.
Red Bull Salzburg are coming into the game against Inter Milan on the back of two consecutive defeat in the Champions League, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. On the other hand, Inter Milan are second in their group with two wins and a draw from three outings.
The Nerazzurri will look to climb to the top of the standings with a victory away from home. Inter Milan are the stronger side on paper, and they will fancy their chances of picking up all three points here.
Inter Milan have done well against Red Bull Salzburg in the past, and they will look to extend their fine run of form against the Austrian side. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Red Bull Salzburg
One day to go until the big one 👑
Can't wait to see you, @Inter_en 🤝 pic.twitter.com/zq5LFzcJqC
— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) November 7, 2023
The home side have an extensive injury list to deal with ahead of this game. They will be without the services of Aleksa Terzic, Maurits Kjaergaard, Fernando, Sekou Koita, Lukas Wallner, Justin Omoregie, Bryan Okoh and Kamil Piatkowski due to injuries.
They are set to shape up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Alexander Schlager in goal. Nicolas Capaldo and Daouda Guindo will be deployed as the full-backs. The two players will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defenders. Samson Baidoo and Strahinja Pavlovic will start as the central defenders here.
Luka Sucic, Lucas Gourna-Douath and Mads Bidstrup will start in the midfield three, and they will look to protect the defensive unit and break up the opposition attacks. Oscar Gloukh will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates with his creativity and vision. Roko Simic will lead the line for the hosts along with Karim Konate.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Schlager; Capaldo, Baidoo, Pavlovic, Guindo; Sucic, Gourna-Douath, Bidstrup; Gloukh; Simic, Konate
Inter Milan
The visitors will be without the services of Benjamin Pavard (knee), Juan Cuadrado (muscle injury) and Marko Arnautovic (knock) because of their respective injuries. They are likely to shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Yann Sommer in goal.
Fitness update on Benjamin Pavard.
— Inter (@Inter_en) November 6, 2023
In the back three, Matteo Darmian will start alongside Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni. Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco will start as the wing-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the page.
Nicolo Barella will start in the central midfield alongside Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. All three players will look to add creativity and control in the middle of the park. Finally, Lautaro Martinez will lead the line for Inter Milan alongside Marcus Thuram.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have been winning at both half-time and full-time in their last three matches against Red Bull Salzburg in all competitions.
- Inter Milan have won their last three matches against Red Bull Salzburg across all competitions.
- 14 goals have been scored in the last three meetings between these two sides.
- Inter Milan are unbeaten in the last six matches across all competitions.
- Red Bull Salzburg have picked up three wins in the last three outings across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
⚽️ Lautaro Martinez has scored more goals (12) than any other player in Serie A this season
😳 That's the same as Oliver Giroud and Victor Osimhen 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃, the pair ranking joint-second in the Serie A goalscoring leaderboard… pic.twitter.com/LZ6Q3JfdYA
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 5, 2023
The 26-year-old Argentine international is our key player to watch out for this week. He has been in outstanding form for Inter Milan this season, scoring 13 goals across all competitions in just 14 appearances.
The Argentine international is full of confidence right now, and he will look to inflict further misery on a vulnerable Red Bull Salzburg defence this week. Martinez will look to influence the game with his creativity and link up play as well apart from his goalscoring ability.
Prediction
Red Bull Salzburg 1-2 Inter Milan
Inter Milan are the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out a win over Red Bull Salzburg. They will look to climb to the top of the standings, and this is a golden opportunity for them to pick up an impressive win.
The Nerazzurri are coming into this game on the back of five wins and a draw from the last six outings. So, the away side will be full of confidence and momentum. A narrow 2-1 victory away from home is on the cards for Simone Inzaghi and his charges.