After the first three matchdays of the league, it’s time for the international break. At home, the anticipation is growing for what the schedule will hold upon returning to the field: after the league match in Monza, on Wednesday, September 18 at 9:00 PM, the super showdown in the Champions League against Manchester City is scheduled.
This will be the first time the two teams face each other since the Istanbul final on June 10, 2023, which was well played by the Nerazzurri despite the narrow defeat. So, Simone Inzaghi, now as then, wants to study the Citizens in detail to neutralize them.
Pep Guardiola’s team started off great in the Premier League, winning all three games (currently leading together with Liverpool) against Chelsea, Ipswich Town, and West Ham, scoring 9 goals and conceding 2. Particularly impressive is their number of shots: already 48 in total (23 against West Ham), with 18 on target.
Tuttosport focuses on the English team’s striker, Erling Haaland, who has started off in his usual fashion. He has already scored 7 goals in the league, one against Chelsea and two hat-tricks. In Istanbul, Inzaghi managed to limit the Norwegian thanks to tight marking by Francesco Acerbi, consistently supported by Alessandro Bastoni.
According to the Turin newspaper, this time the game plan will evidently be different. Not because City has changed a lot since then, but due to the different context: 16 months ago it was a one-off final on neutral ground, now it’s the first matchday of a marathon, to be played away at the rivals’ home. At the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola’s team has not lost in the Champions League since the distant September 19, 2018 (2-1 against Lyon), while in the Premier League, their last home defeat was on November 12, 2022 (2-1 against Brentford).
