Will Inzaghi’s side pick up where they left off?
In the last Champions League season, Inter Milan almost hit the big time. Even in the final in Istanbul against Manchester City, coach Simone Inzaghi’s charges had their chances and were certainly not the worse team. Nevertheless, the bottom line was a bitter 1-0 defeat, which the “Nerazzurri” seem to have put behind them.
The start of the Serie A season went according to plan for Lautaro Martinez and Co. Four wins in four games mean they are currently top of the table. On Saturday, they also won the prestigious Derby della Madonnina against city rivals AC Milan 5:1.
Thanks to the remarkable form, the lower odds are also offered for the bet on the away win on Wednesday evening on the first matchday of the Champions League group stage between Real Sociedad and Inter Milan.
Despite this, caution must be exercised from the Italian visitors’ point of view, as the home side from the Basque Country came within a whisker of picking up a point at Real Madrid in their dress rehearsal in La Liga and are also looking forward to a huge comeback in the top flight.
Real Sociedad – Statistics & current form
It is somewhat curious that Real Sociedad have once again managed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the third decade in a row, in exactly the same ten-year rhythm. After 2003/04 and 2013/14, this is the third time in their club’s history that the Basques have been able to compete with the best European football clubs. In the first edition, RSSS even made it to the round of 16, but ten years ago they were eliminated in the group stage.
In 2023/24, it will also be difficult to secure one of the top two places in a group with Inter Milan, RB Salzburg and Benfica Lisbon. If the odds are to be believed ahead of Wednesday night’s opening match between Real Sociedad and Inter Milan, the proud San Sebastian side are still currently ranked third in Group D ahead of the Austrian champions from Wals-Siezenheim.
Real Sociedad must come through defensively
In La Liga, last year’s fourth-placed team is still lagging behind its own expectations at the moment. After five matches, they have just six points. Only the home match against Granada (5:3) was won. In addition, there were three draws and a bitter 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid on Sunday evening, in which the Basques presented themselves in good form, but could not save the 1-0 lead over time.
Nevertheless, it was once again evident that the strengths of coach Imanol Alguacil’s team definitely lie in defence. Last season, “La Real” already had one of the best defences in the Spanish top flight. Over the last twelve months, only two opponents were able to score more than two goals of their own at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian. The majority of the opponents even came away empty-handed.
For this reason, it is understandable that the odds on a low-scoring match between Real Sociedad and Inter Milan are lower. This is also supported by the historic CL record of the white-blue team, who have scored only one goal in their last eight matches in the top flight and have failed to score in five of their last seven home matches.
Predicted Real Sociedad line-up:
Real Sociedad (Expected line-up) 4-4-2
Inter Milan – Statistics & current form
Whoever thought that Inter Milan would have to chew on the unfortunate CL final defeat for a little longer is being proved wrong in the first few weeks of the new season. You get the feeling that coach Simone Inzaghi’s team has taken things up a notch or two and wants to pull off the big coup at international level this season, but also at national level.
In their current form, the “Nerazzurri” are the hottest contenders for the Scudetto. This was also evident on Saturday evening, when Inter beat their hitherto unbeaten city rivals AC Milan 5:1 at the San Siro.
Led by an outstanding Henrikh Mkhitaryan, “La Beneamata” played themselves into a real frenzy at times and thus landed their fourth victory on the fourth matchday of the still young Serie A season. The goal difference of 13:1 also speaks volumes and underpins the role of favourites for last year’s CL finalists as presented in the Real Sociedad vs. Inter Milan betting odds.
Inter Milan looking to build on last year’s international success
Similar to 2022/23, the Inzaghi side, who suffered painful departures in the summer but have compensated for them very well so far, are expected to have one of the better defences in the most important club competition at European level. As a reminder: In the 13 Champions League games of last season, eight of them were clean sheets. No other club could boast so many clean sheets.
There is, however, a slight danger ahead of the opening game in Group D, as the former Cup winners have only managed to win one of their last 13 away games in the UEFA Champions League with Spanish representatives. Ten defeats round off this fearsome record, although it may not have the greatest relevance for the upcoming match in the Basque Country.
Predicted Inter Milan line-up:
Inter Milan (Expected line-up) 3-5-2
Real Sociedad – Inter Milan Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The direct comparison between these two clubs is relatively quick. In 1979/80 the clubs faced each other in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The home team prevailed in both first and second legs. Real Sociedad won 2-0 at home, but still lost 3-0 in Milan. It seems unlikely that a prediction on the hosts’ three-goal win will pay off again on Wednesday evening between Real Sociedad and Inter Milan.
Real Sociedad – Inter Milan tip
Five Spanish teams have made it to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League this season. While Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid should have a pretty good chance of making it to the last 16, Sevilla and Real Sociedad will have to make a big effort. The Basques in particular have not been lucky in their draw. Among others, they will have to face last year’s finalists from the fashionable city of Milan.
It is precisely this clash that opens the first matchday in Group D. Real Sociedad receives Inter Milan and is seen as the underdog according to the betting odds. However, odds of 2.45 on the away win impressively prove that the home side should not be underestimated on the one hand and that the “Nerazzurri” have only won one of their last 13 CL matches on the Iberian peninsula on the other hand.
Nevertheless, since we see the Inzaghi team in very good form at the moment and the 5:1 derby win against Milan has of course brought a lot of self-confidence, it is still a viable option to bet on the away three. In order to minimise the risk, however, we opt for the Real Sociedad vs. Inter Milan clash, betting that the visitors will not leave the pitch as losers and that a maximum of three goals will be scored in the course of the match.
