Reigning Serie A champion Inter Milan face a tough task in taking on Premier League champion Manchester City in its opening UEFA Champions League fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
The two sides last met in the 2022–23 final in İstanbul, when Pep Guardiola's team captured its first-ever Champions League title with a narrow 1–0 victory. Rodri's second-half goal was enough to propel City to glory capping off a treble.
Fast forward well over a year later and the two teams are still among the best in Europe. City is arguably the best side in the world along with Real Madrid while Inter continue to stay sharp under Simone Inzaghi.
The Nerazzurri is coming off a 1-1 draw at Monza in which Denzel Dumfries helped salvage a point with a goal in the 88th minute. Dumfries just might've done enough to keep Matteo Darmian out of the starting lineup for the upcoming match given his current form and the fact that Inzaghi will need someone with a bit of pace to match up with the City frontline.
Inzaghi will likely keep the same partnership that worked so well last season with Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez up front and center. The backline and the midfield three is where the most changes will be made after players like Alessandro Bastoni, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Nicolò Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu were all rested at the weekend.
