Inter vs Arsenal facts

Two unbeaten UEFA Champions League records are on the line at San Siro on Matchday 4 as Inter Milan take on Arsenal.

The teams both have seven points and each kicked off their campaign with a 0-0 draw against a club from their opponents' country – Inter at Manchester City and Arsenal at Atalanta. The Nerazzurri have gone on to win 4-0 at home to Crvena Zvezda and 1-0 at Young Boys, where substitute Marcus Thuram scored a 93rd-minute winner, while Arsenal have enjoyed victories at home to Paris Saint-Germain (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0).

Previous meetings

2003/04 Champions League group stage
Arsenal 0-3 Inter
Inter 1-5 Arsenal
Both teams produced eye-catching away displays, first-half goals from Julio Cruz, Andy van der Meyde and – after Thierry Henry's penalty had been saved by Francesco Toldo – Obafemi Martins giving Inter the points at Highbury.

Henry opened the scoring at San Siro and, though Christian Vieri's deflected shot quickly restored parity, Fredrik Ljungberg put the visitors back in front early in the second half before late goals from Henry, Edu and Robert Pirès.

Form guide

Inter

Record vs English clubs: W16 D5 L15 F43 A42
Home record vs English clubs: W11 D3 L3

Inter's 0-0 draw at Manchester City on Matchday 1 – a repeat of the 2023 final they lost 1-0 in Istanbul – made it one win in five games against Premier League teams (D1 L3).

The Nerazzurri's last home game against English visitors was a 0-2 first-leg loss to Liverpool in the 2021/22 round of 16 (1-2 aggregate). That ended a five-game winning run, and six-game unbeaten streak, at home to teams from England.

This is the Nerazzurri's 18th appearance in the Champions League, and a seventh in succession.

The run to the 2023 final was Inter's most successful Champions League campaign since lifting the trophy in 2010. Simone Inzaghi's side were second behind Real Sociedad in Group D in 2023/24 but were then edged out by Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 1-2 a, 2-3 pens).

That was the second time in the last three seasons than Inter's campaign had foundered in the last 16.

Inter have won 11 of their last 23 home Champions League games (D7 L5), although ten of their last 14 (D2 L2).

Champions of Europe in 1964, 1965 and 2010, Inter claimed their 20th Serie A title in 2023/24, finishing 19 points clear of runners-up AC Milan. It was their first championship since 2021 and only a second in the past 14 seasons.

Arsenal

Record vs Italian clubs: W19 D9 L8 F45 A27
Away record vs Italian clubs: W7 D5 L6

The goalless draw at Atalanta on Matchday 1 ended Arsenal's four-match winning run against Italian teams, although they have still won six of their last eight games (D1 L1).

Arsenal are unbeaten in three games in Italy (W2 D1), where they managed one win in their first seven visits (D3 L3) but have six in the subsequent 11 (D2 L3).

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their second successive appearance.

Overall, this is Arsenal's 21st Champions League campaign – second only to Manchester United's 25 among English clubs – but only their second in the last eight seasons. The 2016/17 season had been their 19th in a row, all under Arsène Wenger.

The Gunners finished first in Group B last season and then edged past Porto (0-1 a, 1-0 h aet, 4-2 pens) – their first round of 16 success since 2009/10, also against the Portuguese side – but lost out to Bayern München in the quarter-finals (2-2 h, 0-1 a).

Arsenal have won 12 of their last 22 away European matches, losing only five – although those defeats have come in their last ten.

Champions League runners-up in 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona at the Stade de France, Mikel Arteta's side were second in the Premier League last season, finishing behind Manchester City for the second successive campaign.

Links and trivia

Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored nine goals in 59 matches for Arsenal between January 2018 and September 2019.

Mkhitaryan played for Manchester United between 2016 and 2018, scoring in their 2017 UEFA Europa League final victory.

Have also played in England:
Matteo Darmian (Manchester United 2015–19)
Marko Arnautović (Stoke 2013–17, West Ham 2017–19)

Have played in Italy:
Riccardo Calafiori (Roma 2010–22, Genoa 2022 loan, Bologna 2023/24)
Jorginho (Verona 2007–14, Sambonifacese 2010/11 loan, Napoli 2014–18)
Jakub Kiwior (Spezia 2021–23)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Bologna 2019–21)
Neto (Fiorentina 2011–15, Juventus 2015–17)

Have played together:
Marko Arnautović & Declan Rice (West Ham 2017–19)
Piotr Zieliński & Jorginho (Napoli 2016–18)

International team-mates:
Marcus Thuram & William Saliba (France)
Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij & Jurriën Timber (Netherlands)
Piotr Zieliński & Jakub Kiwior (Poland)
Carlos Augusto & Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil)

Latest news

Inter

Lautaro Martínez's first Serie A goal at San Siro since 28 February was enough to give Inter a 1-0 home win against Venezia on Sunday.

On 27 October Inter were held 4-4 at home by Juventus – a game in which they led 4-2.

Piotr Zieliński's two penalties were his first Inter goals.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was also on target, his first league goal of the season. The Armenian has scored in all 19 of his league campaigns dating back to 2006.

Three days later Davide Frattesi scored his first Serie A double as Inter won 3-0 at ten-man Empoli, Martínez getting the other.

Inter have the second best attack in Serie A with 25 goals in 11 games but have conceded 13 goals having let in only 22 in the whole of last season.

Francesco Acerbi has been sidelined by a thigh injury since being replaced in the first half of a 1-0 win at Roma on 20 October. Hakan Çalhanoğlu also went off against Roma with a similar injury, returning as a substitute on Sunday.

Carlos Augusto has been out since Matchday 3, also with a thigh problem.

Tajon Buchanan is yet to play this season with a knee injury although he was an unused replacement on Sunday.

Arsenal

Arsenal suffered only their third Premier League loss in 2024 on Saturday, going down 1-0 at Newcastle.

A 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth on 19 October is Arsenal's only other reverse this season (W9 D4).

Arsenal have conceded two goals in four of their last six league matches, the same as in their previous 24. Having started the Premier League campaign with three clean sheets in four games, they are without one in the last six.

The Gunners were 3-0 winners at Championship club Preston in the last 16 of the English League Cup on 30 October, Gabriel Jesus opening the scoring with his first goal since 30 January.

Arsenal will be at home to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals.

Riccardo Calafiori is expected to be out for several weeks with a knee injury suffered against Shakhtar.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since 5 October, also due to a knee injury.

Martin Ødegaard was taken off with an ankle injury in Norway's 2-1 win against Austria on 9 September and has not played since.

Kieran Tierney (thigh) is yet to play this season.