Inter Need Points Badly, but History Favours Them Against Shakhtar

Little margin for error at San Siro

Inter need points urgently when Shakhtar Donetsk visit San Siro on Wednesday, and the one comfort they can draw is history: in five meetings with the Ukrainian side, they have not lost once. Inter sit 29th of 36 teams with nothing from two games, while Shakhtar are 11th on four points.

Form: a shaky start against a steadier rival

Inter have lost both of their opening matches, scoring four goals and conceding six. Shakhtar have collected a win and a draw, scoring four and conceding just two, a far tidier start that explains the gap in the table.

Head-to-head: an unbeaten run built on stalemates

Inter’s record against Shakhtar in recent meetings is hard to ignore. They have won two of the five, a 2-0 victory in 2021 and a 5-0 rout in the 2020 Europa League, and drawn the other three, all goalless. Shakhtar have not beaten them in that span, but those scoreless draws also show how stubbornly the two sides have defended against each other.

Team news: injuries on both sides

Inter are missing C. Jones, L. Martinez and B. Pavard, all with thigh injuries, as well as J. Stones, who is also injured. Shakhtar have their own problems: I. Azarovi (knee), Eguinaldo (shoulder), A. Ghram and Marlon are all unavailable through injury, while V. Korniyenko, P. Obah, T. Puzankov, M. Shved and D. Tvardovskyi are off the roster.

Our prediction

Shakhtar arrive with the better start and a defence that has conceded only twice, while Inter’s squad is stretched by injuries. Yet Inter’s habit of frustrating this opponent, and the pattern of tight, goalless encounters, suggests a close contest. We expect Shakhtar to edge a game that produces goals.

Inter 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk