This Saturday, May 31, Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Milan at Munich’s Allianz Arena (kick-off 9pm, CET) in the final of the Champions League 2024-2025. And, as before every match, here’s a look at the Parisians’ opponents.
The Inter Milan situation –
A great historic club, Inter Milan has gone through a complicated period, as has the rest of Italian soccer. However, they have managed to revive their fortunes in recent years, with coach Simone Inzaghi arriving in 2021. He won Serie A in 2024 and the Italian Cup in 2022 and 2023. There was also the Champions League final in 2023, lost 1-0 to Manchester City.
This season’s European record is impressive, including the best defence in the league phase. Then there were the eliminations of Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. The disappointment is the championship lost, with 2nd place 1 point behind Napoli after a long spell in the lead. The Champions League cost us strength.
The 2024 summer mercato –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
The 2024/2025 winter mercato –
Departures:
Arrivals:
Key statistics –
This season, Inter have the best attack in Serie A with 79 goals scored (second-placed Atalanta are on 78, and last-placed Lecce are on 27), and the 2nd-best defence with 35 goals conceded (Napoli have the best defence with 27 goals conceded, and last-placed Monza are on 69).
Inter’s top goalscorer is 29-year-old Marcus Thuram, who ranks 5th in the league with 14 goals (Serie A’s top scorer is Mateo Retegui with 25). Federico Dimarco (27-year-old left-back) is Inter’s top passer with 7 assists and ranks 7th in Serie A (Romelu Lukaku is first with 10).
Inter’s last 5 games –
Only Inter possession is shown and Inter shots are put first (when data is available).
03/05/2025 (Serie A) – Inter/Hellas Verona: 1-0. 3-5-2 formation. 28% possession. 13 shots (7 on target) vs. 22 shots (10 on target).
06/05/2025 (Champions League) – Inter/FC Barcelona: 4-3. In 3-5-2. 45% possession. 16 shots, including 3 on target, against 8 shots (2 on target).
05/11/2025 (Serie A) – Torino/Inter: 0-2. In 3-4-2-1. 58% possession. 12 shots, including 7 on target, against 17 shots (3 on target).
18/05/2025 (Serie A) – Inter/Lazio: 2-1. In 3-5-2. 56% possession. 10 shots, including 3 on target, against 12 shots (4 on target).
05/23/2025 (Serie A) – Como (down to 10 at the 45th minute, 0-1)/Inter: 0-2. 3-4-2-1 formation. 61% possession. 11 shots, including 7 on target, against 18 shots (4 on target).
The squad and the probable line-up.
The likely team
Thuram – Martinez
Dimarco – Mkhitaryan – Calhanoglu – Barella – Dumfries
Bastoni – Acerbi – Aurel Bisseck
Sommer
Inter Milan’s style of play.
Able to enjoy possession, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan don’t particularly want it. The idea is to attack whenever possible, preferably by winning the ball back high up the pitch. This involves a great deal of mobility, with at least as many position changes as in Luis Enrique’s PSG.
There is, however, one constant: the use of the flanks. You need players close to the line to stretch the opposing block or to turn and accelerate. Inter also have the ability to play directly down the middle, especially with strikers who are difficult to move. The battle promises to be intense, and the match could quickly descend into “madness”. As we saw in the semi-final against Barça (7-6 overall).
