The beaten Champions League finalists Inter Milan will look to top Group E as they go head-to-head with River Plate at Lumen Field on Wednesday.
Inter will enter the game on the back of a 2-1 success over Urawa Red Diamonds, with their South American rivals playing out a goalless draw with Monterrey in their previous outing.
Match Preview
Inter suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final last month, and that put an abrupt end to the Simone Inzaghi era, with Cristian Chivu now installed as their head coach.
Chivu couldn’t make a winning start to his tenure as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Monterrey in their Club World Cup opener.
But they staged a dramatic comeback against Urawa in their next game to seal a crucial three points.
Ryoma Watanabe got an early breakthrough for the Japanese side, but late strikes from Lautaro Martinez and Valentin Carboni ensured a brilliant 2-1 comeback victory for the Serie A giants.
On the other hand, River Plate are in the exact same boat as their rivals, with the South Americans in control of their knockout destiny and currently sitting at the top due to a marginally superior goal difference.
Marcelo Gallardo’s side eased past Urawa in their opening match after goals from Facundo Colidio, Sebastian Driussi and Maximiliano Meza.
But despite firing 18 total shots, they couldn’t breach Monterrey’s defences and had to settle for a goalless draw at the weekend.
Team News
Inter are dealing with plenty of injury woes at the moment, with Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcus Thuram, Davide Frattesi, Yann Bisseck, Benjamin Pavard and Piotr Zielinski all confined to the infirmary.
As for River Plate, three of their players have been suspended for Wednesday’s clash. Kevin Castano picked up a red card against Monterrey, while Enzo Perez and Giuliano Galoppo received their second bookings of the competition, with the trio ruled out against Inter.
Inter Milan vs River Plate potential line-ups
Inter Milan: Sommer; De Vrij, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Esposito, Martinez
River Plate: Armani; Montiel, Martinez Quarta, Diaz; Acuna; Fernandez, Kranevitter, Aliendro; Mastantuono, Colidio, Meza
Inter Milan vs River Plate prediction
Inter haven’t been very convincing in the tournament so far, but they look equally matched with River who have some key absentees for Wednesday’s fixture.
We believe the result between the two teams will be a draw.
Inter Milan 1-1 River Plate
