Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich: Match Preview

For the first time since March of 2011, Inter Milan will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League, welcoming the Bavarian club to the San Siro on Wednesday. The German champions are coming off a 1-1 draw against Union Berlin while Inter are reeling from a 3-2 derby loss against AC Milan. Both teams will be looking to bounce back and get their Champions League campaigns off on the right foot.

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Two losses already in the young have the Nerazzurri in disarray, shipping eight goals in their first five league matches. These losses to Lazio and Milan are not going to doom Inter so early, but it is in their best interest to get things back on track sooner rather than later. A huge result against a club at the level of Bayern would surely put the wind back in Inter’s sails.

They will try to do so without striker Romelu Lukaku, who is aiming for the end of the international break to make a return to play. Simone Inzaghi will have decisions to make elsewhere on the pitch as well in an attempt to shake things up in a team that has looked stale and sluggish in league play. Inter enjoyed rich successes against Bayern in the early years of the previous decade, winning a Champions League final over the Germans in 2010 and narrowly edging them again in the knockout rounds of the competition in the following season. However, it will take a mammoth effort to repeat those fortunes here in 2022.

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Two early season draws have Bayern Munich sitting third in the Bundesliga. In typical fashion though, no one is phased. A historic run of Bundesliga championships is far from being threatened for the time being. The Bavarians boast a strong squad and are always prepared to be competitive on multiple fronts.

Manager Julian Nagelsmann should have a full squad at his disposal and could throw on a familiar face in Matthijs de Ligt, who made the switch to the Bundesliga over the summer, enabling Juventus to accelerate a deal for longtime Inter target Bremer.

Previous Results

3-2 (H) - 15/3/2011

1-0 (A) - 23/2/2011

Predicted Starting XIs

INTER (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Lautaro, Dzeko.

BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Pavard, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Sabitzer; Coman, Muller, Musiala; Mane.

Prediction: Inter 2-2 Bayern

With the way this group is set up, taking early points off of Bayern would be huge, even just in a draw. With the Inter defense still not up to scratch, it will be hard to keep Bayern off the scoresheet. However, if Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko can show up in the Champions League again as they did for the Nerazzurri last season, a high-scoring draw may be possible.

Forza Inter!