Inter Milan vs Arsenal: UEFA Champions League Preview, Gameweek 4, 2024
Arsenal huddle before UEFA Champions League game. (Credit: Stuart MacFarlane)

Champions League football returns this week for match day 4, with Mikel Arteta taking his team over to Italy looking to make it three wins in four games in this year's competition. 

Last time out saw Arsenal scrape past Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates, winning 1-0, while Leandro Trossard missed a penalty which would have made it a more comfortable end to the game. 

On the other hand, Inter overcame Young Boys 1-0 away from home and have started their European campaign in the same way their opponents have, with two wins and a draw. 

Over the weekend Arsenal looked toothless in attack as they continue their winless run in the Premier League. It has not been more evident that they miss captain Martin Odegaard in the midfield. Their Italian opposition scraped past Venezia on Sunday evening; Lautaro Martinez scoring the only goal of the game. 

Arsenal currently sit ninth in the 36-team table while Inter are in seventh with the two teams only separated by goal difference. Both sides will be looking for all three points to cement their place in the top eight of the league, where they will automatically progress to the next round of the competition. 

It is difficult to tell how many points a team will need to progress since it is the first year of the new format, but another slip up for Arsenal and people will be asking serious questions regarding both their league and European form. 

  • Team News

Inter 

Inzaghi's side have been fortunate with injuries for the majority of this season, over the weekend however they did suffer a scare when centre back Alessandro Bastoni had to be withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining in the game against Venezia. 

The Italian was only suffering with cramp and that was the reason he could not continue, therefore he should be okay to feature on Wednesday night, much to the relief of his manager and teammates. 

One of the absentee's for the midweek clash at San Siro will be Carlos Augusto. The Brazilian left-back has been out with a hamstring injury and is not expected to return until after the international break. Not that this is a huge issue for Inter considering their first choice left-back Federico Dimarco has been in fine form this season. 

Kristjan Asllani missed the game against Venezia on the weekend and is expected to be sidelined again in the week, after the former Empoli midfielder sustained a blow to the knee in training.

Arsenal 

Before this weekend's clash with Newcastle, Arsenal's injury list looked a lot worse than it actually was.

Gabriel Magalhães had to be substituted in the game against Liverpool with a knee injury and missed their Carabao Cup game against Preston North End last week but, after starting against Newcastle, is expected to feature against Inter.

Ben White was also a doubt after Artet said the 27-year-old had been suffering after his comeback from injury. Nevertheless,  they both played on the weekend and will more than likely feature on Wednesday. 

Ødegaard is in the final stages of his rehab following an ankle injury he sustained back in September while on international duty. There is a slim chance he makes his return to the squad at San Siro, although starting the game would be considered too soon. 

The Gunners will still be without left-back Riccardo Calafiori who has been missing with a knee problem. This come as a huge blow to Arsenal, who have missed the Italian's aggressiveness and composure on the ball. 

Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney both remain out while they continue their comebacks from long term injuries. 

  • Potential Lineups

Inter

Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Taremi, Martinez

Arsenal

Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Merino, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

  • Key Players

Inter - Hakan Çalhanoğlu

Inter currently sit second in Serie A and are in a strong position in the Champions League, with Hakan Çalhanoğlu playing a huge part in their strong start to the season. 

The Turkish international has just returned from a thigh injury which he sustained during his side's victory over AS Roma in October. His presence in midfield has been missed and his return to the side in their win over Venezia over the weekend was welcomed by many. 

Çalhanoğlu was instrumental during Inter's Serie A title win last season and started this campaign in fine form before his injury kept him out for three games.

On the ball the 30-year-old is at his best, he is a quality ball distributor who can take control of the game, dictating the tempo and when his team will attack and at what speed. 

He's also known for his ability to connect the midfield and attack when he receives the ball deep from his defenders. He has the trust of the whole Inter squad when he is on the ball to play the right pass at the right time. In modern day football a player like this goes under the radar and is unappreciated by many. 

Arsenal will need to find a way to stop him from gaining control and dictating the game to his speed if they want to get anything out of this game. It may take him a little bit of time to get back up to speed after being out injured but the quicker he settles into the game the more damage he will cause Arteta's side. 

Arsenal - Bukayo Saka

Everyone knows by now how good a player Bukayo Saka is and he has had a fantastic start to this season in all competitions. He will no doubt be the main threat Inter are looking to stop going into this clash on Wednesday, how they stop him however will be interesting. 

Not many teams can nullify Saka's threat, he is comfortable going down the right side as much as he is cutting in on his favoured left foot. Newcastle on the weekend had to double up on the 23-year-old in order to stop him, Joelinton who played as a left winger would spend the majority of his time defending and helping his left-back Lewis Hall. 

Inter would look to do a similar thing if they are to stop Saka because as we saw on the weekend, if you can stop his creativeness then you have a good chance of stopping Arsenal. 

Saka's start to the season has been superb scoring four and assisting seven in all competitions, this is without Arsenal's other creative outlet in Odegaard who would normally share the load with Saka. When the Norwegian makes his long awaited return from injury, may that be Wednesday, we could see an even better version of Saka. 

He will have less pressure of being the only creative attacker in the team, while being able to focus more on getting himself in dangerous positions knowing Odegaard would be able to find him. 

  • Match Details

Where is the game being played? 

The match will take place at the iconic San Siro in Milan.

What time is kick-off? 

Kick-off will take place at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday 6 November 2024.

Where can I watch? 

Coverage for the game will begin at 19:00 GMT on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.