The Allianz Arena will roar back to life this week as Bayern Munich welcome Inter Milan for a heavyweight Champions League quarter-final first leg that promises fireworks on all fronts.
Both sides arrive at this stage after comfortable wins in the last-16. Bayern brushed aside Bayer Leverkusen with a commanding 5-0 aggregate victory, while Inter Milan cruised past Feyenoord 4-1 across two legs.
Though history favors neither team overwhelmingly, memories of Inter’s 2-0 victory over Bayern in the 2010 final — and Bayern’s own triumph in 2020 — set the stage for a contest filled with European pedigree and personal scores to settle.
Team News
Both teams will be dealing with absentees as they try to take control of the tie. Bayern will miss the services of Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Dayot Upamecano — key figures who have all been sidelined due to injury.
Inter will be without suspended midfielder Kristjan Asllani, who is serving a one-match ban for accumulated yellow cards. The Nerazzurri will also travel without the injured trio of Mehdi Taremi, Piotr Zielinski, and Denzel Dumfries, each facing their own setbacks.
Bayern enter the clash in red-hot form, unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions and comfortably leading the Bundesliga with a six-point cushion over Leverkusen. They’ve made the Allianz Arena a fortress in Europe — going unbeaten in their last 22 Champions League home games, winning 17 and drawing 5.
Harry Kane has been central to that dominance. The Englishman has racked up an astonishing 34 goals in all competitions this season, with 10 coming in the Champions League — the joint-second highest tally. He’s been in lethal form, scoring in four of his last six games for club and country, and he was pivotal in the round of 16 with three goals against Leverkusen.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, remain top of Serie A and have extended their unbeaten run to 10 games despite consecutive draws against rivals AC Milan and Parma. However, defensive frailty has crept in of late — they’ve managed just one clean sheet in their last six matches, a stat that could spell trouble against Kane and Co.
Still, Inter boast the best defensive record in the Champions League this season, and their ability to stifle top sides shouldn’t be underestimated.
Bayern vs Milan Prediction
Predicting a winner in this first leg is no easy task. Bayern have the home advantage and an in-form striker in Kane, but Inter’s structure, resilience, and deep squad make them a tough nut to crack.
Rather than leaning toward either side for the win, the smart play may lie in the goalscorer market — and Kane, with his ruthless efficiency in front of goal, looks the standout pick.
This tie is far from over after one leg, but Tuesday night’s clash could set the tone for what promises to be a thrilling two-legged battle between two European heavyweights.
Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan possible XI
Bayern (4-2-3-1): Urbig – Laimer, Kim, Dier, Stanisic – Goretzka, Kimmich – Olise, Mueller, Sané – Kane
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer – Bastoni, de Vrij, Pavard – Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Darmian – Thuram, Martínez
