Champions League: Last 16 in Sight for Euro Giants

Inter Milan vs Arsenal

I could be going out on a limb here but if you asked the fans of these two clubs what their priorities would be, I suspect you’d be left with very different answers.

For a start, Inter Milan would probably trade in another possible Scudetto for a Champions League title after heartbreakingly missing out on both at the end of last season.

That’s because, while the Nerazzurri have won the competition three times in their club’s proud history, only one triumph has come since the 1960s.

By contrast, it may appear bizarre for me to suggest, in the next breath, that Arsenal fans would probably favour the English Premier League even though they have never once managed to get their hands on the top European crown.

The reality is that everyone associated with the Gunners want to be top dogs in England following a more than 20-year wait – after all, a domestic league title is the ultimate test of endurance.

Few would admit that though and, as both sides battle for supremacy at home and abroad, this San Siro summit should be relentless as these sides aim to seal a top eight finish and an automatic place in the last 16.

 

Talking Points

Arsenal travel to Italy in top spot in the group table, knowing a draw will be enough to seal their progress as the only team in the competition with a 100 per cent record after six games.

Manager Mikel Arteta has also ensured his squad are better protected from a repeat of the injuries that damaged their title credentials last season and they are faring well at home and abroad.

They also have a seven point lead at the Premier League summit following a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.

Inter are currently in sixth in the European table with four wins and two draws to date but, with only two points between them and Barcelona in 15^th spot, there is little room for error in securing an automatic place in the knockout stages.

They go in search of Champions League 2026 highlights after a fruitful few days in Serie A which has seen them open up (at the time of writing) a six point lead at the summit (city rivals AC Milan have a game in hand) following their 1-0 win at Udinese on Saturday – captain Lautaro Martinez with the only goal.

That gap over reigning champions Napoli is a healthy one and, while manager Cristian Chivu has been around the game long enough to know there is so much football to be played, he will be glad of the wriggle room.

For now, though, the focus is on Europe and sealing a place in the spring time knockout stages.

 

History

Arsenal and Inter may have been regulars at the top table of European football since the turn of the millennium, but the two sides have only been pitted against each other three times before, two of those clashes coming in the 2003-04 group stage.

Highbury was the venue for their inaugural meeting in September 2003 as a Gunners side boasting Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires hosted an Inter outfit with Fabio Cannavaro, Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi in their starting XI.

Almost all of Arsene Wenger’s team that day would go onto play a key role in their unbeaten league season, but they were humbled by their Nerazzurri counterparts on that occasion, losing 3-0 as Julio Cruz, Andy van der Meyde and Obafemi Martins were on target. The latter would memorably haunt Arsenal again for Birmingham City in the 2011 League Cup final.

Revenge was served clinically in the San Siro a couple of months later when Arsenal ran riot.

Despite Christian Vieri cancelling out Henry’s opener, the scintillating Frenchman would go on to bag a brace after Freddie Ljungberg had restored Arsenal’s lead, before Pires and Edu also struck late on in a breathtaking 5-1 victory – at the time their biggest win in this competition and a night that will be among the club’s all-time Champions League highlights.

That ruthless demolition allowed them to progress to the knockout phase, where they were eliminated by Chelsea in the quarter-finals, while Inter transferred to the UEFA Cup and lost at the same stage to Marseille.

Last season they also met in the group stages when a solitary penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu sealed victory in favour of the Italians at the San Siro.

 

Betting Tip

Our Champions League 2026 betting odds lean towards Arsenal 1X2 @ 2.51 but by the narrowest of margins, just ahead of Inter 1X2 @ 2.58.

I was tempted by Asian Handicap Arsenal -0.25 @ 2.25. but I am going to opt for a *** tip of 1X2 Draw @ 3.18, a result which would suit Arsenal far more than their hosts.

   

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