Sheriff Tiraspol will be looking to make it three straight victories in Group D when they continue their Champions League campaign away to Italian giants Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Inter Milan are coming on the back of their first Serie A loss of the season against Lazio at the weekend. Simone Inzaghi’s side was outplayed by his former side and they will be keen to bounce back against Sheriff Tiraspol. They have picked up just one point from their opening two games and will need to get all three on Tuesday.
The above visual shows us Inter Milan’s shot map against Shakhtar in their previous Champions League game. Inter are yet a score a goal in the CL and failed to capitalise on any of the opportunities they created in the game against Shakhtar. They attempted a total of 10 shots on goal and only had one shot on target. They were wasteful with their attempts and failed to be effective in front of goal. If Inter need a positive result against Sheriff, they will have to be more clinical in front of goal and maintain pressure on the opposition defence by keeping their shots on target.
Sheriff, on the other hand, have had a fairytale start to their Champions League season. The Champions League debutants have won both their games including a stunning 2-1 win away against Real Madrid. Sheriff have won their last five matches in all competitions and have recently beaten Sfintul Gheorghe in a convincing 4-0 win.
Sebastien Thill has been one of the best players for Sheriff so far this season. He also scored the late winner for them against Real Madrid. He has a very high xT of 2.805 from his passes and dribbles. Thill has been an important figure for Sheriff in the midfield as he controls the tempo of the game and is also able to find the right pass when he gets in dangerous positions.
While the Italians still go into the game as favourites, it will not come as a surprise should Sheriff come out on top. Inter have no room for error. Dropping three points, especially at home could prove detrimental in their hopes to qualify for the next round. It may not be a do or die game for the Italians yet. However, any dropped points could see their chances to qualify for the knockouts get slimmer. Sheriff have a good momentum going for them and will hope to secure all three points towards qualifying for the last 16.
Inter Milan predicted starting lineup
Handanovic, Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni, Dumfries, Vecino, Brozovic, Barella, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko.
Sheriff Tiraspol predicted starting lineup
Athanasiadis, Costanza, Arboleda, Dulanto, Cristiano, Addo, Thill, Traore, Kolovos, Castaneda, Yaxshiboyev.
