Arsenal must rid themselves of their Tyneside nightmare when they take on Serie A champions Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Gunners performed as poorly as they have in a very long time under Mikel Arteta’s watch at Newcastle on Saturday, falling to a 1-0 defeat thanks to Alexander Isak’s early header. Arsenal are now seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, with their recent loss extending their winless run in the competition to three games.
They’ve been productive in Europe, though. Arteta’s side head into this league phase bout with seven points from three games. After drawing at Atalanta on Matchday 1, Arsenal beat Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates without conceding.
Inter sit above the Gunners in the Champions League table on goal difference having also amassed seven points. Simone Inzaghi’s Scudetto holders drew at Manchester City before securing victories over Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys.
A 1-0 win over Venezia on Sunday moved the Nerazzurri to within a point of Antonio Conte’s Napoli at the top of Serie A.
Here is 90min’s guide to Wednesday’s Champions League clash at San Siro.
Inter vs Arsenal H2H Record (All Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Inter |
Arsenal |
|---|---|
|
Inter 1-0 Venezia – 03/11/24 |
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal – 02/11/24 |
|
Empoli 0-3 Inter – 30/10/24 |
Preston 0-3 Arsenal – 30/10/24 |
|
Inter 4-4 Juventus – 27/10/24 |
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool – 27/10/24 |
|
Young Boys 0-1 Inter – 23/10/24 |
Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk – 22/10/24 |
|
Roma 0-1 Inter – 20/10/24 |
Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal – 19/10/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 1, discovery+, discovery+ App |
|
United States |
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, TUDN USA, UniMás |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Inzaghi has not been afraid to rotate in this competition, and we should see changes from the team that lined up against Venezia at the weekend.
Mehdi Taremi and Marko Arnautovic are both in contention for starts up top, even if Lautaro Martinez broke his San Siro duck on Sunday. Marcus Thuram could be used off the bench after playing the entirety of Inter’s recent win.
Davide Frattesi and Hakan Calhanoglu could be rotated into Inzaghi’s midfield, as could Francesco Acerbi at the heart of the Nerazzurri’s defence.
Carlos Augusto and Kristjan Asllani miss out through injury.
Inter predicted lineup vs Arsenal (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dimarco; Taremi, Martinez.
Martin Ødegaard back in full training. ✅ pic.twitter.com/Je06K1wtgP
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) November 5, 2024
The Gunners have received a huge boost ahead of Wednesday’s game, with Martin Odegaard returning to full training on Tuesday following six weeks on the sidelines. The Arsenal captain is expected to travel to Milan, but a spot in Arteta’s starting XI is unlikely.
Ben White and Gabriel were both fit enough to feature at the weekend, and the pair should be included in Arteta’s defence on Wednesday. Jurrien Timber will continue to deputise for Riccardo Calafiori at left-back.
Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both hoping to make their respective returns from injury after the international break.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Inter (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Odegaard’s return is a big boost for the visitors, even if the captain is unlikely to start. A cameo appearance would appease a fanbase that’s been forced to slog through the past few weeks.
After Saturday’s dire display, Arteta will be keen to avoid defeat here and a cautious plan which focusses around stymying their wily hosts may be prioritised.
Neither side is particularly desperate for three points at this stage, and Arsenal, in particular, will be content with another draw in Italy.
