Will the Sheriff keep the peace at San Siro?
It wasn’t that long ago that we would have been justified in saying that we didn’t have to worry much about betting on the Inter Milan vs Sheriff Tiraspol match because of the difference in quality between the two teams. Meanwhile, the Moldovans have made a splash in the top flight and even have a great chance of advancing to the last 16 as debutant underdogs.
The big underdogs are at the top of the table in this group with six points from two games. Real Madrid follow with three points. Inter and Shakhtyor Donetsk seem to be fighting over who will finish third in the Europa League. Both currently have only one point on their account.
This constellation means that the Moldovan champions can become only the third team in the 21st century to win their historic first three games in the group stage of the top flight. Only Leicester City and Malaga FC have managed that since the turn of the millennium. However, the bookies are very clearly predicting a home win in the match between Inter Milan and Sheriff Tiraspol.
But that won’t stop the visitors from doing everything they can for another win. If you can win at Real Madrid, you can also expect such a coup in San Siro.
Inter Milan – statistics & current form
The Champions League has somehow not been the Nerazurri’s patch in recent years. The Italian champions have only won one of their last nine matches in the top flight. The current home record is just as bitter, with only one win in the last nine games at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in this competition.
Tired performances in the top flight
With only one defeat from the last six games, the general record doesn’t look too bad. Inter are in third place in the Serie A table after eight games. The gap to leader Napoli, however, is already seven points. Nevertheless, it is clear that the odds on a home win between Inter Milan and Sheriff Tiraspol are very slim.
Last weekend, however, Inter suffered a bitter 3-1 defeat at Lazio Roma, of all places, the great love of coach Simone Inzaghi. Ivan Perisic gave the Nerazzuri an early lead, but Lazio equalised after an hour and the Romans then struck twice more to leave Inter empty-handed.
Perhaps this defeat can also be attributed to the fact that the South Americans around Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez or Lautaro Martinez were only on the bench or not in the squad at all due to their late return from the national teams. All three are now options again on Tuesday, which also applies to Hakan Calhanoglu, who returned from the Turkish national team banged up.
Predicted Inter Milan line-up:
Handanovic – de Vrij, Bastoni, Skriniar – Gagliardini, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dumfries, Kolarov – Dzeko, Martinez – Coach: Inzaghi
Last matches played by Inter Milan:
Sheriff Tiraspol – Statistics & current form
It is quite a phenomenon what Sheriff Tiraspol offers in the Champions League. The Moldovan champions’ participation alone is a sensation. The six points from the first two games, including the victory in the Estadio Bernabeu at Real Madrid, can hardly be described in words.
Making much out of little
While there has never been a team with less possession in their first two Champions League games since records began. Sheriff has the ball just 24.8 per cent of the time on average. Against this backdrop, the six points seem even more incredible.
However, coach Yuriy Vernydub’s world selection is generally in very good form. The Moldovan champions are undefeated in 19 matches. The facts prove that a prediction of a point win for the visitors between Inter Milan and Sheriff Tiraspol is entirely justified. After all, they travel to Italy with an extremely broad chest.
Last weekend they won 4:0 in the Divizia Nationala. Danilo Arboleda, Frank Castaneda, Bruno and Nadrey Dago scored against Sfintul Gheorghe. In terms of personnel, coach Yuriy Vernydub has almost free choice on Tuesday. Apparently, he will only have to do without attacker Lovro Bizjak. All the other players should be fit for action.
Predicted line-up of Sheriff Tiraspol:
Athanasiadis – Cristiano, Dulanto, Arboleda, Fernando Constanza – Addo, Thill – Castaneda, Kolovos, Traore – Yakhshiboev – Coach: Vernydub
Last matches played by Sheriff Tiraspol:
Inter Milan – Sheriff Tiraspol Direct comparison / H2H balance
Sheriff Tiraspol continue to write the fairytale of the small club from the Republic of Moldova that set out to put the fear of God into the big football world. On Tuesday, a whole new chapter will be opened with Inter Milan, an opponent with whom the sheriff will now cross swords for the first time ever.
In general, this match is an absolute novelty, because in the long history of the European Cup, a team from Italy has never had to test its mettle against a representative from Moldova.
Inter Milan – Sheriff Tiraspol Tip
Of course Inter Milan are the clear favourites in this clash. However, this season has shown that you have to move away from jumping to conclusions when Sheriff Tiraspol take to the pitch. The Moldovans did not eliminate Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb in qualifying for nothing and have already won against Shakhtyor Donetsk and, most importantly, at Real Madrid in the group stage.
Yuriy Vernydub’s team should be treated with caution, especially as they are unbeaten in 19 games. Inter have also lost only one of their last six games, but have not performed as well in the top flight, winning only one of their last nine games at home.
However, the risk could be a bit high. Therefore, we would keep the betting on this duel rather narrow. The odds on a home win do not promise a big profit, on the other hand, the chance that the Moldovans deliver another bang is manageably large. That is why we are only playing with a small stake between Inter Milan and Sheriff Tiraspol at the betting odds on double chance X2.
