Inter Milan
I reckon Inter Milan are the most disciplined team in Italy right now. They’re humming along at the top of Serie A and it feels like they’ve got a lot that’s going well. Lautaro Martinez is the man everyone’s talking about after his winner against Udinese, but the reality is they’ve got threats in every position.
My biggest worry for Inter is that they’ve finally shown some cracks at the San Siro after Liverpool came away with a win there recently. To avoid another loss, they’ll need to be clinical against an Arsenal side that doesn’t give much away. When they get the crowd fired up early, they’re a nightmare to play against, so don’t sleep on the Italians at home.
Team News: Hakan Calhanoglu is a slight doubt with a muscle injury. Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Augusto are also being monitored.
Predicted Lineup: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.
Arsenal
Arsenal are looking like the real deal this season. They’re second in the Champions League standings and haven’t dropped a game in Europe yet. I know they’ve just come off a 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest where they weren’t at their best, but you can’t judge them on one off-day - there’s a whole body of work that speaks otherwise.
The big story for me is Viktor Gyokeres. He was the summer addition everyone wanted, and even though he’s had a bit of a dry spell lately, Gyokeres is still their main goal threat. Along with Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze, this midfield is as dangerous as any in the world. Seeing how Gyokeres matches up against the Inter back three is going to be the highlight of the match - and it has a big influence on my prediction below.
Team News: Riccardo Calafiori is nearing a return but this might be too soon. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are both fit.
Predicted Lineup: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze.
