Key occasions
Pennant watch. Each golf equipment preserve it plain and easy with a no-frills method, neither august establishment up for any baroque frippery. Props to Arsenal for the metallic rail, going the additional mile over Inter’s easy cord-based suspension system, however a two-tone background beats plain white all day lengthy so the hosts edge an in depth and traditional contest.
Arsenal make one change to the XI despatched out for Saturday lunchtime’s nondescript 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. Declan Rice has picked up an harm, and hasn’t travelled with the squad within the hope of constructing the weekend fixture in opposition to Chelsea. Ben White comes into the facet. As anticipated, Martin Ødegaard returns after his lengthy harm lay-off to take up a spot on the bench.
The hosts Inter in contrast are effectively rested. Simone Inzaghi brings again 5 gamers stood down for his or her 1-0 victory over Venezia on Sunday. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Davide Frattesi, Mehdi Taremi, Matteo Darmian and Yann Bisseck return to the beginning line-up, with Nicolò Barella, Marcus Thuram, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco and former Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan stepping right down to the bench.
The groups
Internazionale: Sommer, Pavard, de Vrij, Bisseck, Dumfries, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Darmian, Taremi, Lautaro Martinez.
Subs: Di Gennaro, Josep Martinez, Arnautovic, Thuram, Acerbi, Buchanan, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco, Bastoni.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Saka, Partey, Merino, Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard.
Subs: Neto, Setford, Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Robinson.
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania).
Preamble
Inter and Arsenal have confronted one another on two earlier events. The away workforce has received comfortably each occasions, Thierry Henry lacking a penalty at Highbury because the Italians received 3-0 in September 2003, then scoring twice in a 5-1 rout of the Nerazzurri at San Siro a few months later. So in that sense historical past favours Mikel Arteta’s facet tonight. However newer historical past doesn’t: Inter have received seven of their final eight matches in all competitions, and have solely tasted defeat this season within the Milan derby again in September, whereas the Gunners have solely taken one Premier League level from the newest 9 accessible, and seemed distinctly unsure when internet hosting Shakhtar of their final Champions League fixture. So in that sense historical past doesn’t augur so effectively … however Martin Ødegaard may return from harm, which might give out-of-sorts Arsenal an enormous enhance forward of this tough however tantalising tie in opposition to the Italian champions. Kick-off at San Siro is 8pm GMT. It’s on!