Inter Milan and Monaco meet at San Siro on matchday eight of the Champions League league phase with both clubs still seeking to ensure a direct route into the last 16.
All of the teams from third to 13th are still in with a chance of making or missing the top eight, including these two, but the hosts are in a very comfortable position, with Monaco needing a big night.
Match preview
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It has been a very good week for Simone Inzaghi's Inter, as they have navigated two winnable away trips with consummate professionalism.
After a 1-0 victory in the Czech capital against Sparta Prague last midweek, Inter kept the pressure on Napoli at the top of Serie A by thrashing Lecce 4-0 on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri are three points behind Napoli domestically, but find themselves three points inside the top eight in the Champions League, following that win in Prague a week ago, and even with a defeat here, it is unlikely the 2023 finalists will drop out.
Form suggests they have nothing to worry about either, with Inter now 12 Champions League home matches without defeat - their best run since going unbeaten across their first 28 games at San Siro in the competition between 1963 and 2002.
Defensive solidity is Inter's strongest feature, with five consecutive clean sheets in Europe at home heading into this clash, and they have only let in one goal across the entire league phase so far - the outright best.
No team has kept six straight clean sheets at home in the UCL since Atletico Madrid in 2016, while the last Italian team to do so was Juventus back in 2005, and after shutting out the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal already, visitors Monaco have a big ask on their hands.
After opening with a 0-0 draw away to Man City, and a 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade, Inter's last five Champions League games have all ended 1-0, with the Italian champions only coming out on the losing side once in that run - away to Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite losing on their two previous visits to San Siro to face Inter, Monaco enter this fixture on the back of a good week as well, after beating Aston Villa and returning to winning ways domestically against Rennes.
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Adi Hutter's men failed to win any of their previous four Ligue 1 games before the weekend, and also went out of the Coupe de France on penalties to Reims, but a 3-2 success over Rennes ensured they did not extend that winless run to what would have been their worst in five-and-a-half years.
On the continent, the win over Villa means Monaco are back in the hunt for the top eight, regardless of how difficult their final fixture may be on paper.
The club from the principality sit 10th heading into matchday eight, level on points with Leverkusen, who occupy the final last-16 spot.
A win by two clear goals here will move Monaco above Inter, and assure them of a place directly in the last 16, but they have only won one of their last 10 games on the road in the Champions League.
One omen the visitors could cling onto is the fact that the solitary win in that run came in Italy, at the Renato Dell'Ara against Bologna in November, but they will start the game as big outsiders.
Team News
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Facing relegation candidates at the weekend, Inzaghi rested some key players such as Nicolo Barella and Federico Dimarco, while also not rushing Yann Bisseck back from injury, after his return to the matchday squad.
Inter will be without their joint-top scorer in the Champions League so far though, with Hakan Calhanoglu currently out with a calf injury, the same issue that leaves Joaquin Correa sidelined, while Francesco Acerbi joins them on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
That could see the hosts rely on their defensive prowess again, and Yann Sommer is closing in on Andre Onana's Champions League club clean sheet record in a single season (eight in 2022-23), having already kept six in seven games.
The majority of Monaco's injury problems come in attack, with Folarin Balogun and George Ilenikhena likely to miss out, while new signing Mika Biereth is not registered to play.
That means the visitors may have to rely on goals from the back, and no club has seen a higher proportion of their goals scored by defenders in the league phase (31%), including winners from Thilo Kehrer in Bologna, and Wilfried Singo versus Villa.
Singo is a doubt for this one though after missing the weekend win, while midfielder Denis Zakaria was forced off early at the weekend making him doubtful too, in an already injury-disrupted season.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Vanderson, Salisu, Kehrer, Mawissa Elebi; Magassa, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Seghir; Embolo
We say: Inter Milan 2-0 Monaco
Considering that 17 of Inter's last 22 Champions League games have seen two goals or less, including six of their seven this season, another tight encounter is on the cards, but one that should go in favour of the hosts.
Monaco have recovered from a poor start to 2025, but this will be their biggest challenge for quite some time, and the visitors may have to settle for a spot in the playoffs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
