Inter Milan vs Arsenal – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Inter have lost their last two matches in this competition. The Gunners have won all six of their UCL fixtures this term.

Match: Inter Milan vs Arsenal
When: Tuesday, 20 Jan 2026

Inter Milan Form

Inter sit sixth in the UCL League Phase standings. They won their first four matches but lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid on matchday five and 1-0 at home to Liverpool on matchday six. Since that loss, they’re unbeaten in eight matches but that included a 1-1 draw vs Bologna in the Italian Super Cup before a loss on penalties.

Their last six matches have been in Serie A with five wins and a draw. They won 1-0 at Atalanta and 3-1 at home to Bologna. A 2-0 win at Parma was followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Napoli as two leads were surrendered. They outshot Lecce 21-10 in a 1-0 home victory before winning 1-0 at Udinese on Saturday to maintain their three-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Inter Milan Team News

Coach Cristian Chivu has a handful of injury concerns. Right wingback Denzel Dumfries is ruled out and backup goalkeeper Josep Martinez is absent.

Young defender Tomas Palacios was injured against Atletico Madrid in October and is still absent. The match is set to come too soon for midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu as he recovers from a muscle injury.

Inter Milan Motivation

Inter need a result here as it’s imperative to finish in the top eight and avoid the playoff round. They will try to win the match as a draw opens the door to six clubs within two points of a top-eight berth.

Chivu’s side will look to play on the front foot. However, they won’t want to fall behind against such a resolute Arsenal defence.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal sit seven points clear in the Premier League table. They’ve won 21 of their last 26 matches in all competitions with a perfect 18 points from six Champions League matches. They dominated Aston Villa in a 4-1 home win as they produced 3.04 xG. After a 3-2 win at Bournemouth, they played out a dull 0-0 home draw vs Liverpool.

Arsenal won 4-1 at Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round and 3-2 at Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. On Saturday, a frustrating 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest meant a missed chance to go nine points clear.

Arsenal Team News

The Gunners have Cristhian Mosquera available in defence after injury. Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie remain doubtful at the back.

Mikel Arteta is expected to recall Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard in attack. Kai Havertz is pushing for more minutes up front after returning from a long-term injury.

Arsenal Motivation

Arsenal want to seal a top-two finish in the League Phase to give a more favourable bracket for the knockout stages.

They will play pragmatically and look to win in Milan. However, a draw is a decent result and would leave them needing just a draw on matchday eight to achieve a top-two finish.

Key Stats

• Inter Milan have lost their last 2 UCL matches
• Inter Milan are unbeaten in 8 matches (6 wins, 2 draws)
• Arsenal have won 21 of their last 26 matches
• Arsenal have conceded in 6 of their last 8 matches

Verdict

This could be a very close match. Arsenal would be happy with a draw and a 1-1 correct score bet offers great value.

Best Bet: Draw at 3.15

Alternate Bet: Arsenal win/draw double chance + Both Teams to Score at 2.75

Correct Score Tip: Inter Milan 1-1 Arsenal at 5.25