Inter Milan will go into their Champions League match against Slavia Prague full of confidence after winning their first league phase game. They’re one of 14 teams who started the group with a win. Slavia Prague, however, will be frustrated after letting a 2-0 lead slip in the final 15 minutes to draw 2-2 with Bodø/Glimt.
Inter come into this game in great form, with three straight wins across all competitions. Their most recent victory was a 2-0 result against Cagliari. That run began with a solid win over Ajax in their Champions League opener. Inter have been very consistent in Europe, reaching the final in two of the last three editions, although they lost both. Their main goal is to win the competition for the first time since 2009/10, and their strong home form helps that, they haven’t lost in their last 16 Champions League home games, winning 13 and drawing 3.
Slavia Prague, on the other hand, have had a solid start to their season overall, staying unbeaten in all competitions so far. Since their draw with Bodø/Glimt, they’ve won twice and drawn once, including a 2-0 win over Dukla Prague last Friday. Still, they face an uphill battle in this competition. They haven’t won a Champions League group stage game since 2007 and have never won away from home in the competition, with three draws and three losses.
This match will be the third official meeting between Inter and Slavia. Inter won one and drew one of the previous two. Inter have also won their last four Champions League games against Czech teams. Slavia have never beaten an Italian side away in Europe, with one draw and seven losses.
Inter have won seven of their last eight group stage games in the Champions League and have kept nine clean sheets in their last ten. Slavia’s recent European matches tend to be open, four of their last five group games saw both teams score, and all of their last nine competitive games have had at least one first-half goal.
Key players to look out for include Inter’s Marcus Thuram, who scored twice in the first round, both goals were headers. Slavia’s Youssoupha Mbodji also had an impressive debut, scoring twice, and he became the fourth-youngest Senegalese player to score in the Champions League. Inter are almost at full strength for this game, while Slavia will miss key player Tomáš Holeš due to injury.
With Inter’s excellent home and defensive record in Europe, they are strong favourites to win this match, and possibly keep another clean sheet.
