BETTING GUIDE: Inter Milan vs Liverpool, Match Preview, Team News and Prediction
Reading Time: 5min | Mon. 08.12.25. | 16:49
The Nerazzurri enter the contest in strong European standing with their domestic confidence soaring as they sit firmly inside the top-four positions
Inter Milan welcome a stuttering Liverpool side to the San Siro for a crucial UEFA Champions League league-phase encounter that arrives at a defining moment for both clubs.
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The Nerazzurri enter the contest in strong European standing with their domestic confidence soaring as they sit firmly inside the top-four positions.
Liverpool, meanwhile, travel amidst crisis, inconsistency and internal turmoil - issues that have shaken the club’s season and cast a shadow over their Champions League ambitions.
With both teams needing points for different reasons, this matchup promises high emotion, tactical intrigue and potentially goals in a fixture shaped by contrasting dynamics.
Inter’s campaign has been driven by efficiency, resilience and discipline.
Despite losing their perfect UCL record after a late 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid on matchday five, Cristian Chivu’s side remain among the top performers in the competition.
Their response to that setback has been emphatic: three successive domestic victories by an aggregate score of 11-1 underline the strength and fluidity of their attacking structure.
At the San Siro, Inter have been exceptional in continental competition, unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League home games (W15, D3) and victorious in 10 of their last 11 league-phase matches on home soil.
This blend of tactical certainty and home dominance positions them as favourites heading into this clash.
Liverpool’s campaign, both domestically and in Europe, could not be more different.
Their 4-1 defeat to PSV on matchday five equalled a 96-year-old record for repeated heavy home losses, while a run of mixed and often chaotic Premier League performances has left them outside the top-eight bracket.
Their latest showing, a 3-3 draw at Leeds United, encapsulated the fragility of Arne Slot’s side: defensive uncertainty, dropped leads and moments of disorganisation.
But the drama intensified further after full-time when Mohamed Salah publicly criticised the club and manager, claiming they had “thrown him under the bus.”
It was a bombshell that fractured relations within the squad and cast deeper doubt on Liverpool’s leadership, direction and stability.
The timing could not be worse for a trip to one of Europe’s most difficult grounds.
Inter’s form-both in Europe and domestically, has stabilised into a pattern of controlled and potent football. Their UCL run reads W-W-W-W-L, with their only defeat arriving in dramatic late fashion.
In Serie A and the Coppa Italia, their last three matches have produced three wins and 11 goals.
Lautaro Martínez remains the heartbeat of their attack, scoring his 11th goal of the season in the 4-0 victory over Como and extending his streak to five consecutive Champions League home games with a goal.
Liverpool’s recent form paints a far bleaker picture.
Their Champions League results stand at W-L-W-W-L, inconsistent and fluctuating with their overall performance level. Domestically, the Reds are winless in their last two (L-L-W-D-D), leaking soft goals and struggling to sustain rhythm.
Still, there is a sliver of optimism: Liverpool have won seven of their last nine European away matches, showing an ability to reset mentally on the continental stage even when league form dips. But they arrive here with issues far beyond tactics-this is a side wrestling with identity.
Inter Milan enters the match with encouraging fitness updates. Denzel Dumfries is pushing to return from an ankle problem, though he will likely start on the bench.
Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro are unavailable.
The expected eleven sees Yann Sommer in goal behind a back-three of Manuel Akanji, Yann Bisseck and Alessandro Bastoni.
Dimarco and Carlos Augusto should control the flanks, with Calhanoglu, Barella and Zielinski forming a technically commanding midfield.
Up front, the in-form duo of Marcus Thuram and Martínez start together.
Liverpool remain without Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni, but Conor Bradley’s suspension from domestic action does not apply in Europe.
Ibrahima Konate is expected to partner Virgil van Dijk in defence despite his recent struggles.
Arne Slot faces a major decision on Salah, though given the Egyptian’s public criticisms, he is unlikely to return to the starting eleven.
The projected front line features Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo behind Hugo Ekitike, who has scored in his last three away appearances.
Inter under Chivu are structured, intense and fluid.
Their 3-5-2 shape morphs into a 3-2-5 in sustained possession, with Barella, Zielinski and Calhanoglu orchestrating progression and Dimarco offering dangerous underlaps. Martínez drifts between lines while Thuram or Bonny stretches the defensive block with diagonal runs.
At home, Inter tend to dominate territory, suffocating opponents through aggressive counter-pressing and forcing turnovers in central zones.
Liverpool’s midfield is particularly vulnerable to these sequences, and Inter will seek to exploit second-ball situations with quick combinations through the half-spaces.
Liverpool under Slot wants possession control and vertical rotations, but their defensive transitions have been their biggest weakness.
Inter’s ability to attack the channels and isolate centre-backs in duels may prove decisive.
The match is also shaped for goals: both teams score frequently, Inter’s home games regularly clear the 2.5 goals threshold, and Liverpool’s open structure-especially without Salah’s ball retention-often creates end-to-end moments.
Inter Milan come into this clash with one of the strongest home records in Europe, unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League matches at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and winning 10 of their previous 11 league-phase fixtures, with nine of their last 11 home games producing over 2.5 goals.
Liverpool, meanwhile, remains a dangerous side on the road in continental competition, winning seven of their last nine European away matches and scoring in 11 of their last 12 UCL trips, while remarkably going 31 straight league-phase games without a draw, highlighting how open and decisive their away performances tend to be.
Liverpool holds a historical edge with three wins from four meetings, including a 2-0 win away in 2021–22. However, Inter’s home evolution makes this a very different contest. Only one of their previous six meetings saw both teams score.
Key Pointers;
- Liverpool have conceded 3+ goals six times this season
- Martínez has scored in five straight Champions League home matches
- Liverpool have scored in 11 of their last 12 European away games
- None of Liverpool’s last 31 UCL league-phase matches ended in a draw
With Liverpool unstable, error-prone and embroiled in off-field drama, and Inter efficient, in rhythm and powerful at home, the profile of this match leans strongly toward goals.
Inter’s attacking momentum, Liverpool’s scoring record away from home, and both teams’ tactical tendencies suggest an open, high-tempo encounter with multiple scoring opportunities.
Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
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