In a repeat of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League final, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich will face off on Matchday 1 of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Group C clash will take place at the San Siro on Wednesday. Can Inter Milan make a statement on home soil? Or will Bayern Munich spoil the party?
L'allenamento dei nerazzurri in vista della prima partita di @ChampionsLeague 👇— Inter (@Inter) September 4, 2022
L'allenamento dei nerazzurri in vista della prima partita di @ChampionsLeague 👇
With Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen also in Group C, Inter and Bayern will both be eager to kick-start their Champions League campaigns on a positive note.
Inter head into Wednesday’s clash on the back of a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals AC Milan, taking an early blow to their chances of regaining the Serie A title.
Following a 3-1 defeat to Lazio, Inter have now lost two of their previous three games – conceding over 2.5 goals on both occasions.
Still, it is worth noting that Inter have won three of their five Serie A outings this season – scoring 11 goals along the way (2.2 goals per game).
Inter won the 2009/10 Champions League, picking up their third title in the process. Since then, however, they have failed to make it past the quarter-finals.
On the flip side, Bayern Munich have reached four of the previous 13 Champions League finals – winning two and losing two.
After falling short in 2009/10 and 2011/12, the Germans triumphed in 2012/13 before clinching their sixth UCL title in 2019/20.
Bayern won their first three Bundesliga games this season. However, they head into Wednesday’s showdown on the back of two straight draws.
Although the Bavarians remain unbeaten this term, the recent 1-1 draws against Borussia Monchengladbach and Union Berlin are a slight cause for concern.
Head-to-head: Inter and Bayern have faced each other five times in the Champions League over the years, with both teams recording two wins.
Let’s not forget that Inter beat Bayern 2-0 in the 2009/10 Champions League final, with Diego Milito bagging a brace for Jose Mourinho’s side.
Team news: Inter currently have three players sidelined through injury – Romelu Lukaku (muscular), Dalbert (cruciate ligament) and Gabriel Brazao (cruciate ligament).
Bayern have a couple of injury absentees, too, with Mathys Tel (joint) and Bouna Sarr (patella) currently on the sidelines.
Having won the Champions League in 2019/20, Bayern are expected to kick off their 2022/23 UCL campaign on a positive note.
Forebet predicts that Bayern Munich will dispatch Inter Milan on Wednesday, scoring over 2.5 goals on their way to victory.