Match Preview

Real Madrid make the trip to San Siro as they take on Inter for the second time in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday.

Real won the first meeting between these two clubs just two weeks ago in Madrid. It was a late goal by Rodrygo that gave Los Blancos a 3-2 lead and eventual three points.

Inter have yet to win a match in their group stage campaign. Another winless match on Wednesday would mark the first time in club history that the Nerazzurri have failed to register a win in their first four Champions League matches.

This is a crucial match for both sides as they are the third and fourth-placed teams in Group B, respectively. Real are tied at four points with Shakhtar as they both trail Borussia Mönchengladbach who hold five currently.

Three points are up for grabs as both clubs look to not fall further behind their group competition, especially with the potential for a win between Gladbach and Shakhtar.

Injuries/Suspensions

Real Madrid are still without Alvaro Odrizola, Eder Militão, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Luka Jović, who all missed the weekend match against Villarreal. Casemiro is back in the squad after recovering from coronavirus.

Inter will be without Stefano Sensi, Marcelo Brozović, Aleksandar Kolarov, Matias Vecino and Andrea Pinamonti.

There are no suspensions for either club in Wednesday’s match.

Potential XIs

Inter

Handonović; D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Gagliardini, Vidal, Young; Lautaro, Lukaku

Real Madrid

Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Modrić, Casemiro; Kroos; Ødegaard, Hazard, Mariano

With Ramos still out, Nacho will likely take his spot as he did over the weekend.

Having Casemiro back, even after just recovering from illness, is invaluable to the squad in an important match like this. Zidane will likely give him the start.

Should Casemiro indeed start, Martin Ødegaard makes the most sense to start in the attacking front for Real. Mariano will also likely get another start after scoring the lone goal against Villarreal.

Prediction

Inter Milan—Real Madrid 2-3

We may see a similar score to the first match between these clubs a couple of weeks ago. Inter, despite being fifth in Serie A, are tied for most goals in Italy alongside Sassuolo.

The first time around they were without Romelu Lukaku so having him back only helps Lautaro and the Inter attack against a weakened Real backline without Ramos. Though having Casemiro back will help.

Inter will be fighting hard for the three points because they desperately need a win this late in the competition. They are dangerously close to having this Champions League campaign being another lost cause for the club. Real will also want a win to keep up with the result of Shakhtar and Gladbach.

This is arguably the most interesting tie on Wednesday given the circumstances. No one really expected these two clubs to be the bottom-two teams in this group, yet here we are. Wednesday will show who wants it more and who has a good chance of getting out of this group between these two big clubs.