Bayern Munich will open their 2022/23 UEFA Champions League campaign with a visit to San Siro where they take on Inter Milan.
Venue: Stadio Guiseppe Meazza (Milan)
Key Statistics
Inter Milan have won only two of their last eight home games in the UCL (W2, D2, L4).
Inter have won just one of their last six UCL openers in which they have started their campaign at the San Siro too (D3, L2).
The hosts are unbeaten in their last nine competitive games at San Siro winning eight and drawing one.
Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last nine games (W5, D4).
They are unbeaten in their previous ten meetings with Italian opposition in the UCL (W8, D2),
Bayern have scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, whilst conceding just six.
The visitors have won 17 of their 18 UCL group stage matches across the last three UCL terms (D1).
Head to head
inter Milan and Bayern Munich are on an even footing as far as the official head-to-head record is concerned with both teams having won three games apiece out of a total of seven games played between the two sides
Latest performances in all competitions
Inter Milan: L-W-L-W-W
Bayern Munich: D-W-D-W-W
Inter Milan
Inter Milan open their 20222-2023 Champions League campaign with a game against Bayern Munich at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
With three wins and two losses in their last five games, the Nerazzurri sit eight in the Serie A standings. Simone Inzaghi’s men fell to a 3-2 loss to AC Milan in the Milan Derby last weekend.
Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League last season after reaching the Round of 16 stage. After threatening a comeback against Liverpool at Anfield, the Milan-based outfit eventually lost 2-1 on aggregate to the Reds.
The same front-foot football that the Italians played against Liverpool at Anfield is what manager Simone Inzaghi will be expecting from his boys as they take on arguably the biggest hitters in the Champions League this season after PSG.
With Barcelona thrown into the mix, Inter Milan have a proper fight in their hands to make it out of Group C.
The last time the two teams met in the Champions League in the knockout stages back in 2011 Inter Milan edged their German counterpart on the away goal rule after the tie had ended 3-3 on aggregate with Samuel Eto’o, in particular, wreaking havoc on the German defence.
The two teams have experienced mixed fortunes since then with the Germans going on to win the Champions League twice since then and the Italians struggling both domestically and internationally.
Simone Inzaghi has been a man on a mission to restore the fortunes of the Italian giants and with the achievements of Villarreal last season against the German heavyweights, a win for the Nerazzurri is not impossible.
Possible Inter Milan starting line-up
Samir Handanovic; Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar; Federico Dimarco, Denzel Dumfries, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella; Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.
Injured: Romelu Lukaku, Dalbert, Gabriel Brazao
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich on the other hand have started the season in blistering form with three wins and two draws from five games, 17 goals scored and only three conceded.
The Bavarians enter into the campaign as one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy and will certainly fancy their chances of making it to the next round ahead of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen.
The Group which has been dubbed the group of death by football fanatics will be getting the most attention from football fans all over the world and Head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be keen not to have another disappointing campaign like last season where they were knocked out by Villareal last season, failing to beat their Spanish team over two legs.
Bayern come into this game off the back of a 1-1 draw with high-flying Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga, and they will be anxious to get their Champions League campaign off to a good start and bounce back from the dropped points.
Despite losing their talismanic goal scorer Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona in the just concluded transfer window, Bayern have not missed a beat with the likes of new signing Sadio Mane who has settled in pretty well, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala all stepping up to deliver the goals in the absence of the polish marksman.
Julian Nagelsmann will be expecting nothing short of a dominant display from his boys as they go head to head to stake a claim on the Group C throne.
Possible Bayern Munich starting line-up
Manuel Neuer; Alphonso Davies, Lucas Hernandez, Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Pavard; Joshua Kimmich, Marcel Sabitzer, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman; Thomas Muller, Sadio Mane.
Injured: Bouna Sarr
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Inter Milan 2-1 Bayern Munich
