Arsenal aims to maintain its perfect Champions League record against Inter Milan at San Siro on January 20, 2026. The Gunners lead the table with six wins and one goal conceded, while Inter seeks to avoid a third straight European defeat. Both teams boast the competition's strongest defenses.
The UEFA Champions League league phase reaches Matchday 7 with Inter Milan welcoming Arsenal to San Siro on Tuesday, January 20, at 21:00 CET. Arsenal tops the standings after six straight victories, scoring 17 goals and conceding just one in a 3-0 win over Club Brugge. The Gunners' defensive record, allowing only that solitary goal against Bayern Munich, underscores their dominance. Inter Milan sits sixth with four wins from six games but has suffered back-to-back losses to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, the latter a 1-0 defeat at home via Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty that ended an 18-match unbeaten run in the competition.
Inter bolstered its Serie A lead with a 1-0 victory over Udinese on Saturday, where Lautaro Martinez scored in the 20th minute after a backheel assist from Pio Esposito and a through ball from Piotr Zielinski. The Nerazzurri now lead AC Milan and Napoli by six points, having won five of their last six domestic matches while keeping four clean sheets. Inter's four goals conceded in the Champions League matches Arsenal's best rearguard. Last season, Inter defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the league phase, avenging a historic 5-1 loss in 2003-04.
Inter manager Cristian Chivu praised Arsenal, stating, “Arsenal are the strongest team around, together with Bayern. We respect their level and know they will cause us problems. We’re well prepared for this competition. We know our strength. We’ll play with our heads held high and try to win, because that would give us a much better chance of reaching the knockout stage.” Chivu rotated his squad against Udinese, resting Alessandro Bastoni and Marcus Thuram, both expected to return.
Injuries plague both sides. Inter misses Hakan Calhanoglu (calf) and Denzel Dumfries (ankle), with Josep Martinez (ankle), Raffaele Di Gennaro (hand), and Tomas Palacios (thigh) also out. Arsenal contends with Max Dowman (ankle), Piero Hincapie (thigh), and Riccardo Calafiori (muscle) sidelined, while Mikel Merino, Christian Norgaard, and Declan Rice risk suspension with one more booking. Cristhian Mosquera may feature despite some reports of injury concerns.
Predicted Inter lineup: Sommer; Acerbi, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez. Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Zubimendi, Merino; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli. Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro officiates, assisted by Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia, with Joao Goncalves as fourth official and Tiago Martins on VAR.
A win or draw secures Arsenal's last-16 spot, though they face Manchester United in the Premier League soon. Inter needs points to improve knockout seeding and avoid three consecutive defeats, a club first.
