Manchester City welcome Internazionale to the Etihad Stadium tonight in a repeat of last year’s Champions League final.
Pep Guardiola’s side completed their historic Treble thanks to Rodri’s winning goal in Istanbul 15 months ago, but Inter more than held out that night and only a combination of Ederson’s genius and Romelu Lukaku’s poor finishing could keep them at bay.
As they head to British soil, Inter will seek revenge and it could well happen. After all, Inter are an even better team than the last time these two sides met.
Looking back on that final in Turkey, Inter came in as huge underdogs, having finished third in Serie A, a massive 22 points behind champions Napoli.
Meanwhile, City had won their third consecutive Premier League title and beaten rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final. They looked unstoppable, but Inter came closer than most to finding the formula to beat them.
Man City beat Internazionale to win the Champions League in Istanbul in 2023
Inter held on but suffered from poor finishing, with Romelu Lukaku the main culprit
Simone Inzaghi has taken Inter to a higher level since that final and is set to meet City again
They delivered a performance to be proud of, and that may have been good enough for some. But not for manager Simone Inzaghi.
He set to work to take his team to the next level, with spectacular results.
Inter won the Serie A title last season, earning 94 points, which placed them 19 points ahead of their biggest rivals, AC Milan.
It was a procession, as they lost just twice this season, and their underlying numbers were phenomenal. Inter scored 18 more goals and conceded 20 fewer than the previous season, as Inzaghi found the perfect balance between attack and defence.
How did he do it? Right after that last loss to City, Inter lost Lukaku, Andre Onana, Marcelo Brozovic and Milan Skriniar, all of whom were important players for the club.
But they recruited smartly. Marcus Thuram, Yann Sommer and Benjamin Pavard came in.
They were able to fit seamlessly into Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system, allowing Inter to get to work straight away and build momentum.
Inzaghi is now in his fourth season at Inter and it shows, with each player knowing their role in the team. Pavard has proven to be the perfect fit on the right side of the back three, the experienced Sommer has looked at home from the start, while Thuram – the son of World Cup winner Lilian – has blossomed alongside captain Lautaro Martinez.
Inter won the Serie A title last year, finishing 19 points ahead of their nearest challengers
Inter’s recruitment has gone perfectly, with Yann Sommer as the perfect replacement for Andre Onana
Lautaro Martinez has led the team brilliantly and is now a contender for the Ballon d’Or
The added responsibility of the captain’s armband suits Martinez, who finished last season with 24 league goals and won the Serie A Golden Boot.
Some English viewers may have only seen Martinez a handful of times and may not have been that impressed.
He was sent off by eventual champions Argentina en route to the 2022 World Cup final after a slow start to the tournament, also missing a penalty in Inter’s Champions League shootout defeat to Atletico Madrid last season.
Overall, he has had a very strong 12 months. After leading Inter to Serie A glory, he won the Copa America with Argentina in the summer and has reached the last 30 for next month’s Ballon d’Or.
He has become Inter’s talisman and Pep Guardiola will have to be on his guard up front, alongside Thuram.
When you throw Hakan Calhanoglu (30), Nicolo Barella (27) and Alessandro Bastoni (25) into the mix – three players who are at or near their peak – Inter have a very formidable squad.
Will it be enough to beat City tonight? That is a difficult question. City have won their first four league games with something to spare this season.
Inter must find a way to stop Erling Haaland after his flying start to the season
Inter have enough quality to cause problems for Pep Guardiola’s team at the Etihad Stadium
Erling Haaland is flying again, and keeping him in check is easier said than done. Inter have also stumbled a few times this season, after Genoa and Monza drew in Serie A.
But they did beat Europa League winners Atalanta 4-0 a few weeks ago, showing that if they put in the effort, they can really play football.
If they can perform at that level again tonight, it could well cause a surprise.