Inter Milan vs Arsenal: UEFA Champions League – team news, start, lineups

Who: Inter Milan vs Arsenal
What: Matchday 7 (of 8), league phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: San Siro successful Milan, Italy
When: Tuesday, January 20, astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.

Arsenal, present the lone unbeaten squad successful the UEFA Champions League (UCL), question to bluish Italy to instrumentality connected the mightiness of Inter Milan connected Tuesday aft a 40-day interruption successful the tourney schedule.

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Riding a cleanable 18 points from six matches truthful far, the Gunners participate this Matchday 7 contention arsenic the UCL frontrunners, but their English Premier League (EPL) signifier has been acold from ascendant successful 2026, drafting with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest successful their astir caller home fixture connected Saturday.

Inter, who co-led the league signifier with Arsenal aft 4 rounds, participate this penultimate radical signifier contention riding a two-match UCL losing streak, including a crushing 1-0 location decision to Liverpool successful their past lucifer connected December 9, dropping the Nerazzurri to sixth successful the standings.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a person look astatine the high-stakes encounter, which mightiness determine automatic qualification introduction into the past 16.

Arsenal pb UCL and EPL, but it doesn’t consciousness similar it

The Gunners pb next-best Bayern Munich successful the Champions League by 3 points and front-run Manchester City successful the Premier League by 7 points, but they are playing acold from their champion successful the caller year.

Mikel Arteta’s broadside person sputtered retired of the gross successful 2026 with their past EPL triumph an unconvincing 3-2 against Bournemouth connected January 3, followed by 2 goalless draws: astatine location to Liverpool connected January 8; and distant to lowly Forest connected January 17.

It is the archetypal clip since the 2012-13 play that Arsenal person recorded back-to-back 0-0 draws successful the home league, with Arteta conceding that it was “difficult to make momentum” during the astir caller game.

“We came present to triumph the game, that’s clear, and we needed the opportunities that we had,” helium said aft the Nottingham setback.

“We haven’t managed that, truthful the connection is disappointment.”

Arsenal stay good connected people to extremity a 22-year hold to triumph the Premier League title, but they volition request to rapidly rediscover their violative interaction against a antiaircraft juggernaut similar Inter.

Jurrien Timber’s Arsenal person not scored a extremity successful the Premier League since January 3 [File: Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters]

Inter hitting highest form

In contrast, Inter person recovered from a dilatory commencement to the Serie A play – wherever they mislaid 2 of their archetypal 3 fixtures – to rapidly ascent to the apical of the ladder, 3 points wide of next-best AC Milan, and six points up of reigning champions Napoli.

The Nerazzurri are unbeaten successful their past 11 home league fixtures. They were past defeated successful Serie A mode backmost connected November 23, a 1-0 location nonaccomplishment successful the derby lucifer against Milan.

Will Arsenal suffice for the circular of 16 if they bushed Inter?

Yes. An Arsenal victory, oregon adjacent a draw, successful Tuesday’s penultimate League signifier lucifer against Inter would warrant the North London outfit decorativeness successful the apical 8 clubs that automatically suffice for the past 16 of the tournament, thereby skipping the two-legged knockout playoff involving those placing ninth to 24th.

When did Inter and Liverpool past triumph the Champions League?

Arsenal person ne'er won the UEFA Champions League title. They came closest successful the 2005-06 season, losing the last to Barcelona 2-1.

Inter past won successful 2010, overcoming Bayern Munich 2-0 successful the last to implicit the treble, a feat ne'er achieved earlier by immoderate squad from either Italy oregon Germany.

What happened the past clip Inter played Arsenal?

Inter defeated Arsenal 1-0 astatine the San Siro successful a Matchday 4, league signifier fixture connected November 6, 2024.

Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu scored what turned retired to beryllium the match-winner from the punishment spot conscionable earlier fractional time.

The 2 storied clubs person played 3 times successful Champions League history, with Inter holding a 2-1 borderline implicit the Gunners.

Hakan Calhanoglu scores the match-winning extremity for Inter Milan against Arsenal successful their past Champions League brushwood connected November 6, 2024, astatine the San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy [Claudia Greco/Reuters]

Inter Milan’s squad news

In anticipation of Tuesday’s blockbuster clash against Arsenal, Inter manager Cristian Chivu rested stars Alessandro Bastoni and Marcus Thuram successful Saturday’s 1-0 triumph astatine Udinese.

Thuram volition re-enter the starting XI astatine the disbursal of Pio Esposito and volition pb the enactment with regular onslaught spouse Lautaro Martinez successful Chivu’s well-tested 3-5-2 formation.

The Nerazzurri volition apt beryllium without cardinal contributors Hakan Calhanoglu and Denzel Dumfries, some of whom are recovering from limb injuries and are adjacent to a instrumentality to lucifer action.

With a top-eight automatic qualification spot into the UCL circular of 16 connected the line, Chivu is expected to tract his strongest imaginable broadside against Arsenal.

Inter Milan’s predicted starting lineup (3-5-2):

Sommer (goalkeeper); Acerbi, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Star striker Marcus Thuram volition beryllium disposable and is expected to commencement for Inter against Arsenal connected Tuesday [Alberto Gandolfo/BSR Agency via Getty Images]

Arsenal’s squad news

In a hopeless effort to find immoderate extremity scoring, Arteta is tipped to commencement Bukayo Saka – who was brought connected arsenic a second-half substitute successful Saturday’s gully with Forest – alongside Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus.

Arsenal volition proceed to beryllium without the injured trio of Max Dowman, Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori, each of whom are not expected backmost until the archetypal week of February, astatine the earliest.

Arsenal’s predicted starting lineup (4-3-3):

Raya (goalkeeper), Lewis-Skelly, Saliba, Magalhaes; Timber, Zubimendi, Rice; Odegaard; Madueke, Jesus, Saka

Last 5 matches

Inter Milan: W-W-D-W-W (most caller effect last, Serie A matches only)

Arsenal: W-W-W-D-D (most caller effect last, Premier League matches only)

Arsenal guardant Bukayo Saka whitethorn commencement against Inter arsenic Arteta searches for accordant goal-scoring options successful 2026 [File: Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters]