Viktoria Plzen vs Inter Milan – Preview, H2H, Line-ups, Prediction | UCL 2022-23

Lautaro Martinez-Inter Milan

Inter Milan will return to UEFA Champions League action this Tuesday when they travel to Doosan Arena to take on Viktoria Plzen in the second round of the 2022/23 UCL group stage.

Venue: Doosan Arena (Plzen) 

Key Statistics

Viktoria Plzen have recorded four wins across their last five UCL home matches (D1).

The hosts are unbeaten in four UCL games against Italian teams (W2, D2).

They have lost only one of their last 35 games in all competitions.

The hosts have kept three clean sheets in their last five games.

Inter Milan have lost three of their last five competitive games.

They have conceded 2+ goals in three of their last five games.

Inter have failed to score before half-time in nine of their last ten UCL matches.

The visitors have kept just two clean sheets in seven games this season.

Head to head

This is the first meeting between both sides. 

Latest performances in all competitions

Viktoria Plzen: W-L-W-W-W 

Inter: W-L-L-W-L

Viktoria Plzen 

Czech League winners Viktoria Plzeň will look to get their first win in the UEFA Champions League group stage this Tuesday when they welcome Inter Milan to Doosan Arena.

The hosts have been put in a difficult UCL group this year alongside three former champions of the tournament Barcelona, Inter and Bayern Munich. And so they are in a tough race to even finish in an unlikely third position from this group to give them the chance to at least compete in the Europa League.

However, their quest for a top three finish in this group began in the worst possible way last week when they were beaten 5-1 by Spanish giants Barcelona at Camp Nou. 

The loss ended a club-record 34-game unbeaten competitive streak for the Czech side and also represented the first time they were conceding over three goals in a game in over a year. 

They followed up that loss to Barcelona with a 3-2 win over Sigma Olomouc last weekend to ensure that they keep pace with Slavia Prague who currently sit top of the Czech Liga table with one goal difference having played a game more. 

While they may not be considered a strong opponent, Michal Bílek’s men are no pushovers. They have recorded four wins across their last five UCL home matches (D1), and so might feel confident of a turnaround here against an Inter Milan side still struggling to close up games. 

Possible Plzen starting line-up

Jindrich Stanek; Ludek Pernica, Mohamed Tijani, Milan Havel; Pavel Bucha, Jhon Mosquera, Jan Kopic, Lukas Kalvach, Vaclav Pilar; Tomas Chory, Jan Sykora.

Injured: Jan Kliment, Jan Kopic

Doubtful: Radim Reznik

Suspended: None 

Inter Milan 

Inter Milan will look to get their first points on the beard in this very tough group when they travel to Plzen on Tuesday.

The hosts, who have endured an inconsistent start to the new season, opened their UCL campaign with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Group C favourites Bayern Munich in the first round.

In a frustrating game at the San Siro, a first-half strike by Leroy Sane and a second-half own-goal by Inter’s Danilo D’Ambrosio condemned the Italians to their third loss in their last five games in all competitions.

Such has been the form of Simone Inzaghi’s men who were recently beaten by AC Milan in the Milan Derby. They needed even an 89th-minute goal from Marcelo Brozovic to seal a 1-0 win over Torino last weekend and ensure they remain in the title conversation at this early stage of the season.

And so, they come into this tie a bit short of confidence given their form. With Barcelona and Bayern Munich both difficult fixtures, this, on paper is their most winnable tie. And so, they will be desperate for a win to ensure they still have the chance to qualify from this tough group.

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 

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Prediction

Plzen 1-2 Inter Milan