Inter Milan will be eager to open their 2019-20 Champions League campaign with a win when they welcome Slavia Prague to San Siro on Tuesday night.
Inter have made a perfect start to the new Serie A season under new head coach Antonio Conte, and the Italian giants will be the favourites to overcome their Czech opponents in Milan.
Match preview
© Reuters
Inter have beaten Lecce, Cagliari and Udinese in their three Serie A matches this season to top the table with nine points. Conte's side will face AC Milan in a huge derby next weekend but must first concentrate on opening their Champions League campaign with a positive performance.
Conte will view both matches against Slavia Prague as must-wins as Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona make up Group F. It is set to be a fascinating battle to qualify for the last-16 stage of the Champions League, and Inter will be feeling good about their chances as the club seemingly have a new-found belief.
I Nerazzurri are actually the last Italian team to win the Champions League, having triumphed in 2010. This is the 13th time that they have been present in the group stage of the competition, although last season - where they were eliminated in the groups - was their first appearance since 2011-12.
Inter last locked horns with Slavia Prague in the group stage of the Europa League during the 2016-17 campaign - suffering a 3-1 loss in Prague before recording a 2-1 victory on home soil courtesy of a double from Eder.
Romelu Lukaku will be desperate to build on what has been a positive start to his Inter career, and it would be fair to say that the club's fans will be feeling confident ahead of Tuesday's affair at San Siro.
© Reuters
Like Inter, Slavia Prague have also made a strong start to their league campaign. The Czech outfit actually started their season in the middle of July, and they have won seven of their nine matches this term - remaining unbeaten in the process - to top the table on 23 points.
Jindrich Trpisovsky's side will enter the match off the back of a 3-0 home win over Slovacko on Saturday, while they have actually not lost a competitive game since the end of April, which is certainly a run of form that will hand them confidence heading into the clash with Inter.
Cervenobili won a domestic double last season, while they managed to negotiate the Champions League qualifying rounds for just the second time. Slavia Prague have only ever appeared in one previous group-stage campaign - 12 years ago when they finished third in their section.
The Czech outfit, who beat Cluj 2-0 on aggregate to book a spot in the group stages, impressed in the Europa League last season. They advanced through the groups before overcoming Genk and Sevilla in the knockout rounds to set up a quarter-final with Chelsea.
The Blues ultimately recorded a 5-3 aggregate victory to advance, but Slavia Prague scored three times in the second leg at Stamford Bridge to show their credentials.
Tuesday's match, though, will mark the Czech team's first game against an Italian club since drawing 0-0 with Genoa during the group stages of the Europa League back in 2009.
Inter Milan form: WWW
Slavia Prague form: WWWDWW
Team News
© Reuters
Inter boss Conte has no fresh injury concerns from the 1-0 win over Udinese on Saturday, and it would not be a surprise to see almost the same XI sent onto the field.
Lukaku is almost certain to lead the line in a 3-4-3 formation, while Alexis Sanchez is pushing for a start having made his debut for the club off the bench against Udinese.
Lautaro Martinez is another option in the final third of the field, although it seems likely that Stefano Sensi and Matteo Politano will again be selected in support of Lukaku.
Roberto Gagliardini is a fresh midfield option for Conte, meanwhile, and the 25-year-old is pushing for a start having been involved off the bench at the weekend.
As for the visitors, both goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar and defender David Hovorka should start having returned from injuries for the win over Slovacko at the weekend.
Experienced forward Milan Skoda should lead the line for the Czech outfit, while Lukas Masopust and Peter Oladeji are also expected to make the starting XI.
The likes of Matej Pulkrab, Vaclav Drchal, Borek Dockal and Vaclav Kadlec, though, are still on the sidelines.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup: Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; Asamoah, Brozovic, Barella, Candreva; Sensi, Lukaku, Politano
Slavia Prague possible starting lineup: Kolar; Coufal, Kudela, Hovorka, Boril; Kral, Soucek; Oladeji, Stanciu, Masopust; Skoda
We say: Inter Milan 2-0 Slavia Prague
Inter have the look of a strong team under the management of Conte, and it is a tough ask to expect Slavia Prague to pull off an upset on Tuesday night. We fancy the Italian giants to start their group-stage campaign with a routine 2-0 home success, setting them up nicely for a trip to Barcelona early next month.
Matt Law
