Inter Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur
Champions League football is back with a bang this week and we’ll be at the Giuseppe Meazza for a mouth-watering opener between Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur.
It’s a great chance for these two teams to get their seasons moving after stop-start openings to their domestic campaigns; and an opportunity for fans worldwide to see some of the most exciting talents in football. Inter versus Spurs is a clash between two well-matched clubs, and two desperate to win some silverware.
The Champions League 2018 odds have these two teams as outsiders, but likely contenders in the knockout stages in the last 16. Both will have ambitions to go further than that, but the first step is to escape the group stage.
Talking Points
Inter need to find its form pretty quickly, already well off the pace in Serie A. Luciano Spalletti will see the Wednesday clash against Spurs as an opportunity to get the season started, but losing at home to Parma was not exactly the ideal warm-up.
Failing to find the net against the Serie A new boys didn’t impress the home fans, particularly as the player they loaned to Parma, Federico Dimarco, scored the brilliant winner on 79 minutes.
Spalletti has plenty of talent in his team, such as Radja Nainggolan and Mauro Icardi. There is also World Cup finalist Ivan Perisic who came close to scoring against Parma, but Dimarco made the Inter fans’ day even worse by clearing the Croatian’s effort off the line.
With 73 percent possession and 28 shots in that game, Inter have the tools to dominate, but do they have a cutting edge? Both Nainggolan and Perisic were on target in a recent win over Bologna so they could be key on Wednesday. Draw another blank and Spalletti might start to think about recalling Dimarco!
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs suffered a home defeat to Premier League rivals Liverpool on Saturday, and they made some glaring defensive errors in a game Jurgen Klopp’s team could have won by four or five. In the absence of the injured Hugo Lloris, reserve keeper Michel Vorm had a torrid afternoon and even failed to hang on to a spinning ball as the Reds scored the second.
Kieran Trippier, who had such a good season last year and a brilliant World Cup, was unusually ponderous at times against Liverpool. Much of the Spurs’ recent success has been built around solid defence, and they’ll need to get back to their best in Milan—against a side wounded by a recent setback and desperate for redemption.
Up front, Spurs’ Dele Alli was also out injured at the weekend and remains doubtful for the visit to Milan. Harry Kane managed to score in August for a change, but a big bonus for Spurs fans has been the scintillating form of Lucas Moura. The Brazilian recently roasted Manchester United with a brace, and Spalletti will be well aware of the damage he can do with his electrifying pace.
History
Cast your minds back to May and recall the bedlam in Rome as Inter won a dramatic and controversial victory over Lazio to grab—or ‘steal’ they’d have you believe in Rome—the final Champions League place in Serie A.
Inter have made a decidedly patchy start to their domestic campaign, losing twice already to Sassuolo and Parma but winning superbly away to Bologna.
Having started their Premier League campaign with three wins, Spurs arrive with back-to-back defeats after also losing to Watford before the international break.
Head-to-heads read four wins to two in Spurs favour; most recently the Whites thumped Inter 6-1 in a 2016 friendly, but the last competitive tussle was a Europa League tie in 2013 which Tottenham won on away goals.
This is Pochettino’s fifth season at Spurs and he is yet to win a trophy. This famous club last won silverware ten years ago, and that was the League Cup. Before that was an FA Cup triumph back in 1991. He’s fighting on four fronts again and Poch needs a cup.
I’m not sure if Spurs are ready to lift the Champions League yet though.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Inter Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur | Inter Draw No Bet @ 2.06 |
| September 19, 00:55 (GMT+8) |
We can hardly split these two at SBOBET and have pitched Inter at 2.80, with Spurs at 2.54 and the draw at 3.15. A Draw No Bet option for Spurs is 1.87.
It’s going to be a tight affair as both teams have firepower, but equally the coaches will have drummed in the importance of regaining defensive stability.
Two to three goals seem likely at 1.90, and 1-1 the most likely result at odds of 5.40.
This promises to be a great opening to the European campaign between two well-matched sides, so make sure you keep up with all the Champions League 2018 news right here at SBOBET.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
