Inter Milan and AS Monaco will aim to clinch spots in the UEFA Champions League top eight when they clash at San Siro on Wednesday.
The first phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League will culminate on Wednesday with Matchday 8. The latest round of fixtures will start and end with 18 simultaneous matches, including Inter Milan vs AS Monaco at San Siro.
Inter Milan and AS Monaco have secured their spots in the top 24 of the UEFA Champions League. However, assured qualification to the round of 16 remains for both clubs, with the Nerazzurri requiring a point and the principality club needing a victory to ensure progression to the desired phase.
The only blemish for Inter Milan in an excellent UEFA Champions League campaign thus far was a 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 6. On the other hand, successive defeats to SL Benfica and Arsenal pushed AS Monaco down the standings before rising to the tenth spot after beating Aston Villa 1-0 on Matchday 7.
Inter Milan clinched a 4-0 over US Lecce this past weekend to continue the recent winning run and warm up for midweek UEFA Champions League tie. As for AS Monaco, the away side eked a narrow 3-2 win over Stade Rennais in the Ligue 1 clash a few days ago.
Inter Milan and AS Monaco have previously clashed in home comforts for the Nerazzurri twice, with the Serie A giants winning both games. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Inter Milan manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs AS Monaco on Wednesday.
Hakan Calhanoglu is the most notable absentee as he recovers from a calf injury. The Turkish international accompanies Raffaele Di Gennaro (hand), Francesco Acerbi (hamstring), and Joaquin Correa (calf) on the sidelines.
The ageless Yann Sommer is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Inter Milan lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him vs AS Monaco on Wednesday. The central defensive unit should feature Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni. Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco will likely start as the two wing-backs.
The wide pairing will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Nicolo Barella, and Kristjan Asllani, with the latter deputising for the injured Calhanoglu. Finally, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram will be the two strikers for the home side.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
AS Monaco
Unlike his counterpart in the Inter Milan dugout, Adi Hutter has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to San Siro. The AS Monaco manager might be without four first-team players on Wednesday.
Hutter is sweating over Denis Zakaria and Wilfried Singo’s fitness, with the latter picking up a knock this past weekend against Stade Rennais. Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun and George Ilenikhena are recovering from shoulder injuries. In addition, new signing Mika Biereth is ineligible for Wednesday’s clash.
Radoslaw Majecki will take his spot between the sticks, with AS Monaco lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Inter Milan on Wednesday. The backline should feature Vanderson, Mohammed Salisu, Thilo Kehrer, and Christian Mawissa Elebi.
As for the midfield unit, Soungoutou Magassa will pair up with Lamine Camara in the double pivot if Zakaria is unavailable. Aleksandr Golovin will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with the highly-rated duo of Maghnes Akliouche and Eliesse Ben Seghir being the two wide attackers. Finally, Breel Embolo should lead the line for AS Monaco against Inter Milan.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Majecki; Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Mawissa Elebi; Magassa, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have won their two previous home games in European competition vs AS Monaco, winning 1-0 in the 1963/64 European Cup round of 16 and 3-1 in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup semi-finals. The Ligue 1 giants lost their first three games against Inter Milan in European competition but won their most recent meeting with them in April 1997 in the UEFA Cup.
- Inter Milan are unbeaten in their 12 most recent home matches in the UEFA Champions League (W10 D2), their longest unbeaten run on home soil in the European Cup/Champions League since September 1963-September 2002 (no defeats in their first 28 matches).
- AS Monaco have only won one of their last ten away matches in the UEFA Champions League (D4 L5), although that lone victory came in Italy this season, beating Bologna 1-0 in November.
- Inter Milan have not conceded a goal in their five most recent home matches in the UEFA Champions League. The last team to keep six consecutive home clean sheets in the competition was Atletico Madrid in September 2016 (6), while the last Italian side to do so was Juventus in September 2005 (6).
- Yann Sommer has kept six clean sheets in seven UEFA Champions League games this term. The only goalkeeper to record more in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign for Inter Milan was Andre Onana, who kept eight in 13 appearances in 2022/23.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
While Marcus Thuram and the impressive Eliesse Ben Seghir were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Lautaro Martinez as our Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Inter Milan and AS Monaco.
The Argentine international has scored 14 UEFA Champions League goals for Inter Milan, the joint-most of any player, alongside Adriano. When including the European Cup, only Sandro Mazzola (17) has managed more in Europe’s premier competition for the Serie A outfit. The Inter Milan captain will be eager to continue his ascent in the charts and capture the overall record.
Prediction
Inter Milan 1-0 AS Monaco
AS Monaco’s form in the last seven days has been impressive, and the performance against Aston Villa on Matchday 7 showed character. However, toppling the near-indomitable Inter Milan will be a tall order, considering the home side’s mind-boggling defensive record this season.
The Serie A champions have conceded just one goal in this season’s UEFA Champions League, which came in their only defeat in this season’s competition. So, seeing an AS Monaco player get past Yann Sommer will be shocking. Expect another solid showing by the Nerazzurri, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 for Simone Inzaghi and his charges.