Inter Milan face Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The Italian giants will be searching for a positive continuation to their Champions League campaign, with Inter seeking to maintain their perfect record in the competition. First-time qualifiers Kairat have taken just a single point from their three games.
Inter Milan vs Kairat Almaty – Match preview and team news
- Date: Wednesday, 5th November.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: San Siro, Milan.
Inter Milan team news
Inter will welcome back Marcus Thuram to the squad following his month-long absence due to a hamstring injury sustained in late September against Slavia Prague. However, the 28-year-old Frenchman is likely to start on the bench as precautionary measures are maintained to avoid aggravating his condition.
Inter Milan will be without several key players: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (ruled out until December with a thigh strain), Matteo Darmian (injury), Raffaele Di Gennaro (wrist injury), and Tomas Palacios (thigh injury). This injury crisis forces Coach Cristian Chivu to consider fresh alternatives in attack, with either Francesco Pio Esposito or Ange-Yoan Bonny potentially partnering Lautaro Martínez up front.
Kairat Almaty team news
Kairat Almaty will miss the services of Joao Paulo and Elder Santana due to injuries. The Kazakh champions remain in their off-season following the conclusion of their domestic league campaign, during which they secured their second consecutive title.
Coach Rafael Urazbakhtin will look to Edmilson to provide the attacking thrust. The Brazilian forward has managed one goal in two UEFA Champions League appearances this season.
Form
Inter Milan
Cristian Chivu’s side has made a flawless start to their European campaign, recording three consecutive victories with three clean sheets. The Nerazzurri won 4-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, 3-0 against Slavia Prague, and 2-0 against Ajax in their opening three matches.
More impressively, Inter have won nine of their last ten Champions League opening-stage fixtures without conceding, and they remain the only team to keep ten clean sheets in the league phase since the start of last season.
Domestically, Inter’s form has been equally impressive, with victories over Fiorentina (3-0) and Verona (2-1). Hakan Çalhanoğlu has been particularly prolific, scoring five goals in his last eight Serie A appearances and scoring in three consecutive games before the Verona fixture.
Kairat Almaty
After a challenging European debut, Kairat have secured only one point from their opening three matches in the Champions League. They suffered heavy defeats to Sporting (1-4 away) and Real Madrid (0-5 at home), but held fellow debutants Pafos to a goalless draw.
Domestically, the Kazakh side recently concluded their league campaign as champions for the second year running, with 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev emerging as their top scorer with 14 goals in the domestic league and three in Champions League qualifying. Kairat have demonstrated resilience despite their European setbacks, remaining unbeaten in four games across all competitions (two wins and two draws).
Predicted lineups
Inter Milan: Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez, Esposito
Kairat Almaty: Anarbekov; Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, Mata; Glazer, Arad; Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyko; Satpaev..
How to watch Inter Milan vs Kairat Almaty?
TNT Sports 7 will carry the live broadcast in the UK. Additionally, the match will be broadcast exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
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