FULL TIME
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MATCH PREVIEW & MORE INFO
Man City: possible starting lineup: Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Inter Milan: possible starting lineup: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Thuram, Martinez
Match Preview
Manchester City will launch their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with a highly anticipated match against Serie A champions Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium. This fixture marks the first meeting between the two sides since the 2023 Champions League final, where City claimed a historic treble with a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a Rodri goal. Pep Guardiola's men have maintained a perfect start to the Premier League season, recently securing a 2-1 victory over Brentford, with Erling Haaland adding to his already staggering tally of nine goals this season.
City’s home dominance is remarkable, with the team extending their unbeaten run at the Etihad to 46 games. As they prepare for a demanding week of fixtures, including matches against Arsenal and Watford, Guardiola's squad will aim for a strong start in the expanded Champions League, where they seek to defend their title. Avoiding defeat in their first two group games would tie Manchester United's record of 25 consecutive unbeaten matches in the competition.
Inter Milan come into this clash on the back of a mixed Serie A start. After comfortably dispatching Lecce and Atalanta, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Monza, with Denzel Dumfries rescuing a point late on. Simone Inzaghi’s men, eager to avenge their defeat in the 2023 final, face a difficult double-header this week, as they take on City before a derby against AC Milan in Serie A.
Inter’s Champions League form has been solid, losing only three of their last 20 matches in the competition. They have also won away at four English clubs in past tournaments and will be looking to add City to that list. The Nerazzurri have some injury concerns, with Federico Dimarco and Marko Arnautovic unavailable, but Alessandro Bastoni, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Nicolo Barella are expected to return to the starting lineup.
City, meanwhile, remain without Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake, but key players like Rodri and Phil Foden could return to the starting XI. Erling Haaland, with 41 goals in just 39 Champions League games, will likely lead the line once again as City look to assert their dominance in this group-stage opener.