Arsenal fans will NOT be able to buy alcohol in Milan ahead of the Champions League match with Inter, with a drinks ban imposed in the Italian city

Arsenal supporters hoping for a drink or two during their visit to Milan for the Champions League match against Inter have been bitterly disappointed after a widespread drinking ban was introduced in the city.

The Gunners have started the season in mixed form, having dropped to fifth despite their plans for a first Premier League trophy in 20 years, and are now without a win in three games.

This has translated into their Champions League campaign, with Mikel Arteta’s side impressively sweeping aside Paris Saint-Germain between tight games with Atalanta, who finished 0-0, and Shakhtar Donetsk, who defeated them with 1 -0 wins.

Next up is a trip to San Siro to play Inter Milan tomorrow night and Arsenal fans will be keen to cement their place in the automatic qualification places against a team with exactly the same record as them to date.

But any supporters looking to calm their nerves with a pre-match alcoholic drink will be dismayed to discover the city goes dry in the run-up to the match. The Express reports.

The Gunners slumped after defeat to Newcastle on Saturday, leaving them winless in three games

There was also a drinks ban due to the goalless draw against Atalanta in September

The decision to ban the sale of liquor throughout Milan was announced by Prefect Claudio Sgaraglia on the Italian government’s website.

The sanction will cover some of the busiest areas in Italy’s second city, including the tourist center in the Centro district, which will be an alcohol-free zone between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

This region includes popular drinking spots such as Piazza San Babila, Piazza Duomo, Piazza Cordusio, Largo Cairoli, Largo Beltrami, Piazza Castello and Foro Buonaparte, the Darsena, the Navigli, Corso Como, the Sempione area and in San Siro.

Several surrounding areas will be hit with the ban from noon to midnight on the day of the match.

The prefect has also banned takeaways from selling drinks in plastic or glass cups to fans.

In a statement, Italy’s Ministero dell’Interno said: “The ban (…) has been imposed to ensure the safety of the event and to prevent possible disruptions to public order due to alcohol abuse.”

The move represents an attempt to ease potential crowd issues, with Arsenal expected to sell their allocation of 4,361.

It marks another alcohol-free visit to Italy for Gunners fans after traveling supporters were banned from drinking in large parts of Bergamo ahead of their goalless draw against Atalanta.

Inter fans celebrate in Piazza Duomo, one of the areas where the drinking ban applies

Arsenal fans will not be able to get a drink before or during their match at San Siro

Celtic fans faced a similar problem when they arrived in Bergamo for a match against Atalanta

However, that trip did include designated watering holes in the city, monitored by local police, with no such options offered for Wednesday’s match.

Celtic fans encountered the same problems when they went to Bergamo last month, when their 1,300-strong support was greeted with limited drinks before the match, which also ended goalless.

Hoops supporters could only buy drinks with a strength of less than five percent and were not allowed to drink from glasses or glass bottles, as officials wanted to “protect the city’s artistic heritage.”