MX23RW : Monday, October 14 16:23:38| >> :60:65:65:
[monks data]
Manchester City logo
Champions League | League Stage
Sep 18, 2024 at 8pm UK
Etihad Stadium
Inter logo

Man City
0 - 0
Inter Milan


Dias (33')
FT

'They could drop points' - Man City expert predicts "really difficult game" against Inter Milan

'Man City could drop points' - Will Inter cause upset in Champions League clash?
© Imago
Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany reveals to Sports Mole why he can see the Citizens dropping points in their opening Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany can see the Citizens dropping points in their opening Champions League match at home against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Since beating rivals Manchester United on penalties to win the Community Shield, Pep Guardiola's side have made the perfect start to the defence of their Premier League title and sit pretty at the summit after winning each of their opening four games in the 2024-25 campaign.

City followed up successes over Chelsea, Ipswich Town and West Ham United with a 2-1 comeback victory over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday, courtesy of two goals from in-form striker Erling Haaland.

The Citizens now have three more home matches in a row to prepare for across three different competitions, with encounters against Arsenal in the Premier League and Watford in the EFL Cup to take place after their first Champions League fixture of the new campaign against Italian giants Inter.

Wednesday's contest represents a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final between Man City and Inter when Rodri scored a decisive second-half goal to secure a narrow 1-0 victory in Istanbul and help the Citizens complete a historic treble that season.

Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram celebrates scoring on August 30, 2024© Imago

Man City in for "really difficult game" versus Inter

While City were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, Inter were knocked out in the last 16, but they won their 20th Serie A title at a canter, collecting an impressive 94 points and finishing a whopping 19 clear of rivals AC Milan in second.

Inter have since made an unbeaten start to the 2024-25 season, picking up eight points from their opening four Serie A matches, although they have dropped points in both of their first two away games versus Genoa and Monza, rescuing a 1-1 draw with the latter on Sunday thanks to an 88th-minute equaliser from Denzel Dumfries.

Nevertheless, Guardiola believes that Inter "have something special" and has heaped praise on the Italian club ahead of Wednesday's contest, as has Rodri who has labelled Simone Inzaghi's side as a 'complete team.'

McInerney is also expecting "a really difficult game" for Man City and would not be too surprised to see Inter pick up a least a point from their travels to the Etihad.

Asked if Inter are genuine contenders to go all the way and win the Champions League this season, McInerney told Sports Mole: "Yeah absolutely. They are now where City [were] a couple of years back, where City had their Champions League failure two years earlier against Chelsea.

'Revenge is on the cards... City could drop points'

"[Inter] are such a wonderfully organised side. They were brilliant against City in the Champions League final. I know we won but that could have gone either way. If [Romelu] Lukaku [had scored] late on, they could have won in extra time. They absolutely would have felt frustrated that day.

"They battered everyone last season in Serie A, they are such a good side. They've got a really, really well-drilled team. They've got experience throughout it. I expect this to be a really difficult game (for Man City).

"I got a feeling this could be game where City maybe drop some points. There's revenge on the card for [Inter] as well (because of the Champions League final loss two years ago).

"It's at our ground, they're going to come and frustrate City - absolutely. I think it's going to be a wonderful game. They're such a good side."

While Man City will understandably be wary of the threats that Inter are likely to pose on Wednesday, they can still be optimistic of success as they boast an exceptional 46-game unbeaten home run across all competitions.

The Citizens have also not lost any of their last 23 Champions League matches and if they avoid defeat in their opening two fixtures of this season's competition (against Inter and Slovan Bratislava on October 1), they will equal the longest unbeaten streak in the competition's history set by rivals Man United (25) between 2007 and 2009.

ID:553160:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6180:No Data Analysis info

Click here for more stories about Steven McInerney

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Game History

How you voted: Man City vs Inter Milan

Manchester City
81.3%
Draw
11.3%
Inter Milan
7.4%
539
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during a press conference on September 17, 2024
Read Next:
Guardiola explains why Inter "have something special" ahead of CL clash
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Dortmund22006
2B. Leverkusen22006
3Benfica22006
4Brest22006
5Aston Villa22006
6Liverpool22006
7Juventus22006
8Inter Milan21104
9Man City21104
10Atalanta21104
11Arsenal21104
12Sparta Prague21104
13Sporting Lisbon21104
14Monaco21104
15Lille21013
16Bayern21013
17Barcelona21013
18Real Madrid21013
19PSG21013
20Celtic21013
21Brugge21013
22Atletico21013
23Feyenoord21013
24Bologna20111
25Shakhtar20111
26PSV20111
27Stuttgart20111
28Dinamo Zagreb20111
29Girona20020
30RB Leipzig20020
31Sturm Graz20020
32AC Milan20020
33Red Star20020
34Salzburg20020
35Slovan Bratislava20020
36Young Boys20020


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!