Inter Milan got their Champions League campaign off to a great start with a surprise draw at the Etihad and will be looking to follow that up with a win back at the San Siro as Red Star Belgrade come calling.
Like most people, Slips Tips thought Inter would find Erling Haaland too hot to handle but the Norwegian drew a blank along with the rest of his team-mates on a frustrating night for Pep Guardiola's side.
The Italian champions were less secure at the back in their next game as the lost the Milan derby 2-1, a result that continued a slow start to the Serie A season.
But Simone Inzaghi's men will be looking to come alive again on the European stage as they take on a Red Star Belgrade side who lost their opener 2-1 at home to Benfica.
Our man Gabriel cashed in by backing the Portuguese giants to win and the Serbian side now face an even tougher assignment against another European superpower.
How the bookies view it: Red Star rank outsiders
There were some mismatches in the first round of Champions League games and the bookies reckon this is another, with Red Star Belgrade 14/1 outsiders with Betano. Inter Milan are just 1/7 and even the draw is massive at 7/1.
Head to head: Long time no see
Despite these sides having long and storied histories in European football, they've only faced off once before – in the European Cup back in 1980/81. It was the Italians who edged it on that occasion, winning 1-0 in Belgrade after a 1-1 draw at the San Siro.
Players to watch: Fratt boy running wild
Both of Inter Milan's strikers are odds-on for a goal at Bet365, with Lautaro Martinez just 8/11 and Marcus Thuram only a bit bigger at 5/6. So you need to pick a midfielder to find decent odds and Davide Frattesi should come in for the injured Nicolo Barella. He's 10/3 for anytime scorer and netted in the weekend win over Udinese.
Cherif Ndiaye started the Benfica game on the bench for Red Star but could start here after netting a hat-trick in the derby win over Partizan. The Senegalese striker is 11/2 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Probable teams
Frederico Dimarco missed Inter Milan's European opener with a minor injury but should feature here after making his return in the Milan derby. But Barella is set to miss out after picking up a thigh strain in that game.
Red Star Belgrade should be along similar lines to their clash against Benfica, although Ndiaye could replace Bruno Duarte up front. Ognjen Mimovic also looks set to miss out after going off early in that loss to the Portuguese.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Acerbi, Pavard, Bastoni, Dumfries, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Frattesi, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez.
Red Star Belgrade: Glazer, Spajic, Olayinka, Djiga, Seol Young-Woo, Dalcio, Krunic, Elsnik, Ivanic, Mvumpa, Ndiaye.
Anything else catch the eye?
Red Star Belgrade have scored in every game they've played this term but their strike against Benfica came at the death when the game was pretty much done. That makes me think an Inter Milan win to nil could pay off here and it's priced at evens by Betano and 10/11 at Bet365.
Inzaghi's side should have too much quality in attack for the Serbs and backing Inter to win both halves pays 11/10 with Betfred.
Red Star Belgrade could try to knock Inter off their stride with some heavy challenge so backing them at -1 in the card handicap looks good at 5/4 with Bet365.
This UEFA Champions League match between Inter Milan and Red Star Belgrade will be played on Oct 1, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Inter Milan vs Red Star Belgrade prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
