Do Inter Milan’s Serie A Performances Put Them in Good Stead for the Champions League Knockout Rounds?

Do Inter Milan’s Serie A Performances Put Them in Good Stead for the Champions League Knockout Rounds?

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The UCL trophy is perhaps the most coveted in all of football – bar the World Cup – and there is one team that appears to be staking a big claim for it in 2024. Inter Milan last won the Champions League in 2010, when they secured the title by beating a strong Bayern Munich 2-0. They did this under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, a universally acclaimed coach, but in 2023, with Simone Inzaghi at the helm, they have been looking just as strong – if not more so. 

The tournament is still in its early stages, of course. The knockouts do not begin until February, and there are still a number of teams involved who can win. With BetMGM giving Inter Milan odds of 20/1 – and other teams like Manchester City and Real Madrid odds of 2/1 and 11/2 respectively – it’s fair to say that not a lot of people are expecting Inter Milan to be lifting the trophy in Wembley Stadium on the 1st June 2024. 

But for Inter Milan fans, there is undoubtedly a lot of hope, and this stems from their Serie A performances over the last few months. Having come third in the table during the 2022/23 season, Inter Milan came into the 2023/24 season with a point to prove. Their first win came in August when they came out of the gates with a fabulous 2-0 demolition of Monza. This was followed by a 2-0 win against Cagliari a week later, and then an impressive 4-0 take-down of Fiorentina. Admittedly, these were games that Inter Milan were expected to win, but fan optimism really came into effect on the 16th of September, when they beat famous rivals AC Milan by 5 goals to 1. Since then, they have been storming.

Inter Milan’s Serie A Story So Far 

Since the beginning of Serie A 2023/24, Inter Milan have only lost one game, and that was against Sassuolo. Apart from that loss, they have won thirteen games in total and drawn two. As a result, they are currently sitting at the top of the Serie A table with 45 points, trailed by Juventus with 43 points and Milan with 36. 

While it is still early days, it’s important not to forget the season of 2020/21, when Inter Milan single-handedly ended Juventus’ nine-year winning streak. They clinched the title back then for the first time in eleven years, and they have grown in confidence ever since. Their UCL showings have similarly been impressive. In Group D, Inter have won three games and drawn a further three, putting them on equal footing with Real Sociedad. In February, they will be up against Atletico Madrid, who won four games out of six in their group and similarly haven’t suffered a loss. 

Good Stead for the UCL Knockouts

The performance of Inter Milan has been all the more impressive when you consider the difficulties that they have. Due to the club’s financial situation, Inzaghi has to lose players every summer, bringing in new blood that takes time to acclimatise and settle. In late July, he had to depart for a pre-season tour without a first- or second-choice goalkeeper, and that’s an unfortunate situation for any club to be in.

As well as this, Inzaghi has had to deal with the loss of Andre Onana, Marcelo Brozovic, Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku, and Milan Skriniar – several stars that, if the pundits were to be believed, were behind the success they had experienced in 2021. Instead of teething issues and poor performances, however, Inter Milan have only got better. In many ways, they are worlds away from their Manchester City defeat the last time around. This demonstrates how strong the core leadership is in the group, and the confidence that still runs strong throughout every player and the coaching setup. If little else, it shows that they are in good stead for the knockouts when they come around. In our opinion, however, it puts them as favourites for the title itself.