Manchester City vs Inter prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-09-17 19:00.
[p]It’s an exciting start to the UEFA Champions League’s (UCL) opening round as Manchester City and Inter Milan clash in a rematch of the 2023 final. The hosts claimed their first and only UCL trophy that year, and will be aiming to start their charge towards a second success by beating the visitors again, and a 23-game unbeaten run in this competition over 90 minutes (W16, D7) should certainly enhance confidence.  [/p]
[p]City’s start to the domestic season couldn’t have gone much better either, with four wins from their opening four league matches. But it is worth noting that the Cityzens don’t have the best historical H2H history against sides from Serie A, with just five wins from their last 13 matches against Italian clubs (D5, L3), although four of those wins did come in their last five such games (D1). [/p]
[p]Inter Milan have also made an unbeaten start to their domestic season, but results have been less impressive (W2, D2) – with the latest disappointment a 1-1 draw against Monza on Sunday. That match did see key defender Stefan de Vrij return from injury, boosting Simone Inzaghi’s squad as they look to build on a strong recent record in this competition – just three of their past 20 UCL encounters have ended in a defeat (W11, D6). [/p]
[p]The Nerazzurri could join an elite group of European giants in creating a bit of history if they were to win here, as they’d become just the fourth side, along with Barcelona (7), Real Madrid (5) and Bayern Munich (5) to secure wins away at five different English teams in the UCL – their last was a 1-0 win at Liverpool in March 2022. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Rodri’s second-half strike was decisive in the 2023 final between these two, and he’s not tasted defeat when scoring in any of his nine games since (W7, D2). By his lofty standards, it’s been a slow start to the season for goalless Lautaro MartĂnez, but strikes in two of Inter’s last four away UCL matches – both of which arrived beyond the 80th minute – suggests he can get off the mark here. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Man City boss Pep Guardiola comes into a new UCL campaign with the best win percentage of any manager in the competition to take charge of 50+ games (64% – 109 in 171 games). [/p]
[p][i]Written by David H[/i][/p]