Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Inter Milan and Red Star Belgrade, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After a battling draw in their Champions League opener, Inter Milan will seek their first win of the league phase on Tuesday, as they welcome Red Star Belgrade to San Siro.
While Inter are a formidable force on home turf, Red Star still await their first away win in UEFA’s top club competition since the European Cup era ended.
Match preview
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Runners-up to Manchester City in the 2023 final – their most successful Champions League campaign since lifting the trophy 13 years earlier – Inter were pitched against the English champions again on this season’s opening matchday.
Armed with a game plan, Simone Inzaghi‘s men defended deep and ultimately became just the second team to stop a Pep Guardiola-coached City side from scoring at home in Europe’s elite competition.
The three-time European champions have now kept 13 clean sheets in their last 22 matches at the top level – which is the most by any club since the start of the 2022-23 season – and have lost only two of the last 16.
Underlining their status as contenders to win this year’s tournament, the Serie A side are also unbeaten in nine Champions League home games, and that represents their best such run since beating Bayern Munich in the 2010 final.
However, including their visit to Manchester, the Nerazzurri had failed to win in three outings before registering a 3-2 weekend victory in Udine, as they bounced back from a bitter derby defeat to AC Milan.
Following Inter’s late loss in the Derby della Madonnina, Davide Frattesi settled any nerves by opening the scoring inside the first minute, and captain Lautaro Martinez finally netted his first club goals of the season to see off Udinese.
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Inter have met Tuesday’s visitors on just two previous occasions, with the Italian giants progressing 2-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage of the 1980-81 European Cup.
Including qualifiers, Red Star Belgrade have failed to win any of their last eight matches against Serie A sides, so upon returning to San Siro they will aim to end a streak that dates back to December 2005.
Crvena Zvezda finished fourth in their group last season, losing five of six games, but then went on to claim a seventh straight Serbian league title, before beating Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League playoffs and securing their place in the new league phase.
On the opening matchday, Red Star coach Vladan Milojevic saw his side go two down within half an hour against Benfica, and despite Felicio Milson‘s late strike they were unable to salvage a point at the Marakana.
They soon responded to that defeat with their biggest Eternal Derby win over Partizan Belgrade this century; and after a superb 4-0 victory they beat Zeleznicar Pancevo 2-1 to remain unbeaten in the league this season.
Winning eight of nine games so far – scoring 27 goals and conceding just five – puts them back on top of the pile in Serbia, but replicating that form on the European scene has proved elusive.
Red Star have lost all nine of their away fixtures in the Champions League to date, and only two teams have played more away matches in the competition without producing a single success.
Inter Milan Champions League form:
Inter Milan form (all competitions):
Red Star Belgrade Champions League form:
Red Star Belgrade form (all competitions):
Team News
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Inter’s main concern ahead of their first Champions League home fixture regards the fitness of influential midfielder Nicolo Barella, who was sidelined by a thigh injury at the weekend.
Either Piotr Zielinski or Davide Frattesi would deputise if the Italy international is unable to recover for Tuesday, while Canadian wing-back Tajon Buchanan is the hosts’ only confirmed absentee.
Ahead of a tough league game against Torino, Simone Inzaghi may rotate his squad, but whichever side he selects will boast plenty of experience: the average age of Inter’s starting XI against Manchester City was 29 years and 363 days – the second-oldest of any team on the opening matchday.
Meanwhile, Red Star Belgrade are set to travel without Ognjen Mimovic (foot) and long-term absentee Vladimir Lucic (knee).
Paired in central midfield, Rade Krunic – who returns to San Siro, where he won the Scudetto with Milan in 2022 – and Timi Elsnik are tasked with keeping the Nerazzurri at arm’s length.
Elsnik not only created the most chances (four), completed the most passes (58) and line-breaking passes (16) against Benfica, but the Slovenian star also recovered possession more times (eight) than any other Crvena Zvezda player.
Battling it out with Bruno Duarte to start up front, Cherif Ndiaye recently scored a hat-trick in the Eternal Derby and is the visitors’ top scorer this season with seven goals.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Zielinski, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Taremi, Martinez
Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:
Glazer; Seol, Djiga, Spajic, Rodic; Krunic, Elsnik; Silas, Ivanic, Milson; Ndiaye
We say: Inter Milan 3-1 Red Star Belgrade
With a record of nine wins from their last 13 Champions League home matches, Inter start strong favourites to take maximum points in Milan.
Buoyed by a win at the weekend, the Nerazzurri should be back to somewhere near their best, ready to take advantage of Red Star’s away-day woes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.