On Tuesday, October 24, Inter will host Salzburg for the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League 2023/2024, in one of the games that will begin to determine the fate of each team in Group D, which has no clear favorites to advance to the knockout stages.
Why it's important
Group D is one where no team has a perfect score, creating parity between Real Sociedad, Inter (4 points each), and Salzburg (3), while Benfica has no points but hopes to recover. The match between the Italian and Austrian teams is crucial for positioning on the table.
Players to watch
Lautaro Martínez is the top scorer in Serie A with eleven goals and the captain of the team led by Simone Inzaghi. In addition, the Argentine striker scored the equalizer goal in the first Champions League match against Real Sociedad as an away game. Marcus Thuram, the attacking partner of the Argentine, scored the only goal in the victory against Benfica in the second match of the continental tournament.
Ivorian Karim Konaté and Croatian Roko Simic are the offensive references for Salzburg: they have scored five and four goals, respectively, in the domestic competition. The European player, in addition, opened the scoring in the 2-0 victory against Benfica in their Champions League debut.
Current form
Inter regained the top spot in the Italian league thanks to a 3-0 victory over Torino, with a goal from Lautaro Martínez, and Milan's 1-0 loss to Juventus. The Nerazzurri have won three of their last four matches and are in a very good moment not only in terms of results but also in their style of play.
On the other hand, Salzburg has only managed to achieve one draw and two losses in their three most recent matches. After a 1-0 home defeat against Lask, they are placed second in the Austrian league, four points behind Sturm Graz. The encouraging fact for Gerhard Struber's team is their 16-match unbeaten away record, with 12 wins and 4 draws.
Previous encounter
The only previous meeting was in the 1993-1994 UEFA Cup final, played over two legs, and Inter won 1-0 both in Vienna (April 25, 1994) and in Milan (May 10, 1994).
How to watch
The big match can be watched on Tuesday, October 24 on Star+ for all of South America.