Inter Milan will travel to Real Sociedad as they kickstart their Champions League campaign. The hosts return to Europe’s top tournament after a ten-year absence, while the visitors made it all the way to last season’s final before losing to Manchester City.
Preview (Real Sociedad vs. Inter Milan)
Real Sociedad secured a spot in the Champions League group stage this season courtesy of their fourth-place finish in La Liga last time around, as Imanol Alguacil’s team scored 71 points from their 38 games. Real Sociedad had been absent from Europe’s premier competition for ten years. Along with that, La Real also competed in the Europa League, winning five of their six games. They lost just once to Manchester United. Sociedad finished first in their group with 15 points, guaranteeing them a spot in the round of 16. They scored 10 goals while only allowing two.
Alguacil’s team met Roma in the round of 16 and received automatic advancement to the knockout stage as a result. However, they were unable to overcome the eventual runners-up, losing 2-0 away in the Italian capital on goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and Marash Kumbulla. With just six points from their first five La Liga games, the Basque team has not yet been able to build on their successful league season. They started the season with three straight draws before recording their first three-point performance in an exciting 5-3 victory over Granada.
Simone Inzaghi’s team advanced past Porto and Benfica of Portugal with 1-0 and 5-3 aggregate victories before finishing second in their group behind Bayern Munich with 10 points and beating out giants Barcelona. That led to a matchup with rival AC Milan in the semi-finals. They won the first leg 2-0 at the San Siro on the strength of early goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrik Mkhitaryan. They sealed the victory on aggregate with a 1-0 victory the following week. Inter booking a meeting with Manchester City in the championship game.
Team News
Carlos Fernandez is unavailable due to injury, along with Martin Merquelanz and summer acquisition Andre Silva. Fernandez was sent off in Real Sociedad’s Europa League loss to Roma last season and will serve a suspension. In the absence of Silva, a 4-3-3 formation will be used, with Mikel Oyarzabal as the line’s captain and Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea as his potential flankers. Both players have impressed with three goals each this season. Another important player is Martin Zubimendi, who will likely be partnered in midfield by Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino. At center back, Robin Le Normand and Igor Zubeldia will maintain their partnership.
Inter Milan has a clean bill of health heading into the trip on Wednesday. Inzaghi may opt to use the same starting XI from their rout of AC Milan at the weekend. Players like Marko Arnautovic and fifth goal scorer Davide Frattesi are vying to start. Henrik Mkhitaryan should once again play in an advanced midfield position. He will play alongside Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella. Summer signing Benjamin Pavard also hopes to play right away.
The line will once again be led at the top of the field by superstar Lautaro Martinez. He has already scored five goals this year after scoring 28 goals in all competitions last season. This tally includes three goals and three assists in their Champions League campaign. Real Sociedad will want to celebrate their return to the Champions League with a win at home on Wednesday, and the game should be close and exciting. However, the visitors do have more talent and experience on the international stage, so we predict they will win the first game.
Real Sociedad 1 – 2 Inter Milan
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