After seeing their Premier League title hopes dwindle further at the weekend, Arsenal must now refocus on putting up a tough Champions League battle as the Gunners visit Italian giants Inter on Wednesday.
Arsenal lost points for the fifth time in ten league matches after their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, which managed to keep all eleven of its players on the field for 90 minutes but was unable to generate much offensive power. This saw them drop to fifth place in the table, seven points behind leaders Liverpool.
They are in a reasonably strong position in the Champions League with seven points through their first three games, but European road games have continued to frustrate Mikel Arteta over the years, and that’s as tough as they come.
Having reached the Champions League final two seasons ago and won the Serie A title last year, Inter are going through a period of resurgence at both domestic and European levels. They sit just one point off the top of the Serie A standings and are among the all-important top eight in the Champions League table too, having yet to concede a goal in European play this season.
More: How to watch Inter Milan and Arsenal in the Champions League
Prediction of the match between Inter Milan and Arsenal, odds: Inter Milan (+160) Prediction of the result: Inter 2-0 Arsenal
Frankly, Arsenal have been very poor on the road in European competition under Mikel Arteta.
Since the Spaniard took charge in December 2019, Arsenal have won less than half of their European matches (9 of 19), with eight of their nine wins coming in the Europa League. In last season’s Champions League and this season combined, they won just once (at Seville last October) out of six road games, losing three and drawing two.
Meanwhile, Inter have not conceded a goal in three Champions League matches this season, including a heroic performance on the road against Manchester City. At home in European play, Inter have conceded just six goals in 11 home games since the start of the 2022/23 season, five of which came in a 2-0 loss to Bayern to start the 2022 group stage 3-3 down. They tied with Benfica in the quarter-finals with the win mostly ending on aggregate. If we remove these two matches, one goal has been scored in the last nine European home matches.
BetMGM
(USA) Inter Milan win + 170 Draw + 200 Arsenal win + 175 Both teams
To score: -130
N: -110 above/under
2.5 Goal: +105
Street: -145 Inter Milan
-0.5 goals + 155 Arsenal
+0.5 Goals – 225 Inter Milan vs Arsenal match facts Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 Kick-off time: 9pm local time (3pm ET / 12pm PT) Location: San Siro (Milan, Italy) Referee: Istvan Kovacs ( Roma) Last match: Inter 1-5 Arsenal (November 25, 2003 | Champions League)
More: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Inter Milan vs Arsenal Best Bet: Scoreless First Half (Listed as ‘Halftime Score – Drawn and Under 1.5 Total Goals’) Odds: +155 (BetMGM)
No one in the Premier League has faced fewer shots in the first half of matches than Arsenal. No one in Serie A has faced fewer shots in the first half of matches than Inter.
Against Man City in their goalless draw on the road, Inter kept their Premier League rivals under 1.0xG in the first half, and actually outscored City 10-9, with just four combined shots on target between the two sides and one big chance combined.
Neither team will be thrilled to open up the attack during the first 45 minutes, with Arsenal likely happy to emerge from the San Siro with a draw and Inter not wanting to risk falling behind needlessly. Unless there’s a lightning strike or moment of brilliance (which is certainly possible), to be fair, this game will go to half-time without an opener.
Inter Milan vs Arsenal Bet Pick: Marcus Thuram to score or assist, Odds: +160 (FanDuel) Pick: Marcus Thuram 2+ Shot on Goal, Odds: +290 (FanDuel)
No one deserves to score a goal over the past month more than Marcus Thuram. The France international has not yet been a consistent threat in front of goal, but he remains a constant influence in the attacking third regardless of whether he puts the ball in the net or not.
After a strong start to the season, things have dried up a bit for Thuram, but that can easily be put down to simple random variation and not a sign of deflation. He came off the bench to score a late winner against Young Boys in their last Champions League outing, and has registered two or more shots on target in three of his last five Serie A matches. What’s more is that five of his seven league goals and four of his five assists came at the San Siro.
While Lautaro Martinez is the club’s main threat during league play, he often takes a back seat to other individuals in the Champions League, whether that be through determination or performance. Marko Arnautovic started the game for Young Boys up front in place of Thuram, but that proved to be a big mistake as he was foul from open play and missed a penalty, so expect Thuram to return to the starting line-up here.
