Kick-off: 2000, 17/08/2020
Stadium: Dusseldorf Arena
TV: BT Sport
Inter Milan are fancied to have a little bit too much tactical nous for Shakhtar Donetsk in Monday night’s Europa League semi-final.
The Pitmen have played some entertaining football since the competition restarted but may just have their limitations exposed at this level.
We’re snapping up 7/5 for the Nerazzurri to win and over 2.5 goals in the game for our first Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk prediction.
A Look At Inter Milan’s Betting Odds
Inter looked a touch heavy-legged when beating Getafe 2-0 but recovered in time to see off Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at the last-eight stage.
Nicolo Barella opened the scoring on 15 minutes and Romelu Lukaku doubled the advantage soon after, meaning he has now scored in nine straight Europa League appearances.
Chelsea target Kai Havertz quickly pulled one back for Leverkusen but Inter ultimately ran out worthy winners.
The Italian giants had two penalty appeals turned down by VAR, while Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sanchez and Victor Moses all went close after coming on in the second period.
Antonio Conte commented: “I’m very satisfied because we played exactly how we planned the game.
“We never allowed Leverkusen to play calmly with the ball, always with a certain level of pressure. A coach can only be happy when he sees such commitment.”
Conte clearly picked up some experience in how to apply a high-pressing game during his time in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Inter have also developed a nice habit of starting strongly, leading at half-time and full-time in five straight domestic and European matches.
Looking at the Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk odds, the Nerazzurri appeal at 7/4 to keep that run going here.
Last Inter line-up: Handanovic, Godin, De Vrij, Young, D’Ambrosio, Bastoni, Gagliardini, Barella, Brozovic, Lukaku, Martinez.
A Look At Shakhtar Donetsk’s Betting Odds
Shakhtar have shown plenty of enterprise in beating Wolfsburg 3-0 and Basel 4-1 to get this far.
Against the Swiss side, Junior Moraes gave them a flying start when scoring after just two minutes and Taison added a second via a deflected shot.
An Alan Patrick penalty and Dodo’s late effort wrapped up a convincing victory before Ricky van Wolfswinkel grabbed a consolation for Basel.
Head coach Luis Castro declared: “It was a hard game but we dominated almost all the time.”
Defender Valeriy Bondar added: “Now we face Inter and it will be a very tough game, but we are Shakhtar and we can beat any team here.”
The heavy Brazilian influence in this team has had an obvious effect, with Shakhtar producing slick passing, pace and movement when going forward.
However, their defensive frailties were apparent in the Champions League earlier this term, with 13 goals conceded in six group-stage games, as they finished third behind Manchester City and Atalanta.
Going down 3-0 to La Dea at home on Matchday 6 when a draw would have seen them through also suggests the Pitmen can wilt under pressure.
Let’s finish off our Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk betting tips by taking 12/1 for the Italian giants to win 3-1.
Last Shakhtar line-up: Pyatov, Kryvtsov, Matvyenko, Bondar, Dodo, Stepanenko, Taison, Antonio, Marlos, Patrick, Moraes.
Additional stats
Last result:
INTER 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Nicolo Barella, Romelu Lukaku
SHAKHTAR 4-1 Basel – Junior Moraes, Taison, Alan Patrick (pen), Dodo
Head-to-head: Inter 1-1 Shakhtar, Shakhtar 0-2 Inter
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