HP Terbaru 2023 – The Premier League leaders travel to the team top of Serie A in the Champions League

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By Karl Matchett

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With six wins from six it’s a perfect scenario for Arsenal to resume their European campaign from, but they’ll know from this time last year – domestic rivals Liverpool having a perfect run before going out in the last 16 – that it’s far from conclusive over potential glory come May. Even so they head to Milan with some security in their pocket, which is more than can be said for their hosts.

Two-game turnaround

Inter look well-placed on the face of things. Sixth in the table, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool on goal difference…but it’s far from outrageous to suggest last year’s beaten finalists might take nothing at all from their final two games. They’ve already been beaten by Liverpool on home soil, so Arsenal could feasibly do the same; fast forward to the final round of fixtures and Inter are away to Borussia Dortmund, just one point further back in the table and who have only lost once at home all season.

As such, 12 points now is nowhere near enough to guarantee passage to the last-16, and was in fact only just about enough to manage top 24 last year (11). It’s imperative they find something from this clash then, if only to settle qualification nerves.

Free hit

By contrast, there’s no real pressure on Arsenal to go all-in on keeping up the 100 per cent record. Home to bottom club Kairat in the last match, the Gunners are already all-but-assured of finishing first in the league stage barring any shocks. It might, therefore, be a game Mikel Arteta opts to rotate a little as they battle on four fronts – especially given the senior depth available in some positions.

Recent form

Ignoring a penalty shootout defeat which was a draw in normal time, Inter are unbeaten in eight in all competitions since losing to Liverpool in early December. It’s 11 since Arsenal lost to Aston Villa around the same time. The Italians have kept three clean sheets in their last four; the Gunners have failed to score twice in the same period.

Team news

Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Çalhanoğlu are the big absentees for the hosts, both missing until after the league phase is finished.

Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapié but otherwise have a big squad available to Arteta to choose from – Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will both be hoping for a start in attack after injuries, given Viktor Gyökeres’ ongoing indifferent form.

Key players

Lautaro Martínez might be one of the few capable of unlocking either one of these notoriously tight defences; he has four goals in Europe this term placing him above 93% of forwards for non-penalty xG, and above 92% for shots on target.

Prediction

A hard-fought game which neither want to lose…and which neither will: Inter 1-1 Arsenal.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

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