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In the third round of Champions League league-phase fixtures in 2026-27, Inter Milan will welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to San Siro on Wednesday.
The hosts have lost their first two outings, while their visitors are unbeaten with four points on the board.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Inter Milan vs. Shakhtar Donetsk key stats
- Inter Milan have won six and drawn one of their seven Serie A matches so far this season.
- Inter Milan have reached the Champions League knockout stages in each of the last five years.
- Of seven H2Hs on record, Inter Milan have won three and four have ended in draws.
- Shakhtar Donetsk have won their last seven matches in all competitions.
- Shakhtar Donetsk have only conceded two goals in their first two league-phase games.
Inter Milan vs. Shakhtar Donetsk preview: Can Inter Milan put their first points on the board at the third time of asking?
Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk — Tale of the Tape
| Inter Milan | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| 29th | Position | 11th |
| 0 | Points | 4 |
| 4 | Goals For | 4 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 2 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 26th (H) | Home / Away Rank | 15th (A) |
Inter Milan return to Champions League action on Wednesday in search of their first points of the Champions League campaign after a slow start.
They begun their latest bid after winning Serie A in 2025-26 alongside a disappointing showing in Europe, where they dropped out in the Champions League knockout playoff at the hands of Bodo/Glimt in a 5-2 aggregate defeat while losing both legs.
Cristian Chivu's team have conceded six goals across their first two league-phase matches, albeit only losing each of those games by a single goal, firstly visiting Real Madrid and suffering a 2-1 loss, before they hosted Club Brugge last week and came away empty-handed having fallen 1-0, 3-1 and 4-2 behind with Lautaro Martinez's brace and Ange-Yoan Bonny's injury-time goal not enough to earn I Nerazzurri a result.
Their poor Champions League start has come alongside an eye-catching beginning to their Serie A defence, with Chivu's side winless in their seven top-flight games while winning six, including all four home games while scoring 15 goals in those, most recently beating Parma 3-0 at San Siro and Bologna 3-1 away from home at the weekend thanks to goals from Marcus Thuram, Carlos Augusto and Bonny.
Now heading into the third of their eight league-phase matches and hit by several injuries to key players, with star forward Martinez sidelined alongside Curtis Jones, Benjamin Pavard and John Stones, Inter Milan will be desperate to channel their league form and get up and running on Wednesday.
In their way stand a visiting side aiming to continue a positive start to their campaign, both on the continent and domestically.
Shakhtar Donetsk sealed their return to the Champions League for 2026-27 by regaining the Ukrainian Premier League title last year for the 16th time in their history, after reaching the Conference League semi-finals in the same memorable season.
They began with a trip to PSV Eindhoven last month and drew 1-1, before meeting AEK Athens and winning 3-1 to make it four points from two games last week with Pedrinho levelling the game in the first half and Vinicius Tobias and Gleiker Mendoza scoring in the final 10 minutes.
Arda Turan's team have since returned to domestic action and extended a winning streak to seven games by beating Kolos Kovalivka in the top flight, making it 24 points from their first nine league outings – scoring 20 goals and only conceding five.
They now turn their focus back to the Champions League facing a long injury list with the hopes of continuing their hot streak and further establishing themselves at the top end of the table with what would be a major scalp in Italy.
Inter Milan vs. Shakhtar Donetsk form guide & betting tips
| Inter Milan | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
DWWLW |
Form | WWWWW |
| 13 | Goals For | 14 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 2 |
LL |
Champions League | DW |
Whispers predicts: Inter Milan 3-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Both Teams to Score has landed in all four Champions League matches involving the two teams so far this season, with Shakhtar Donetsk arriving for a tough game having scored four goals in two matches. We fancy them to cause problems for the hosts and see the trend continuing, backing Both Teams to Score as a result at 7/10 (1.70).
Inter Milan may have too much quality for their Ukrainian visitors, though, despite the contrasting starts in the league phase, with Shakhtar Donetsk making a fast start through a manageable pair of fixtures. We fancy Inter Milan to win at 1/5 (1.20).
In the absence of Martinez, Marcus Thuram will continue to spearhead the attack having scored for Inter at the weekend to make it four in six Serie A games this season. He will likely be the main threat in the game and is priced at 10/3 (4.33) to score first.
> Both Teams to Score at 7/10 (1.70) | Likelihood: Probable
> Inter Milan to win at | Likelihood: Likely
> Marcus Thuram first goalscorer at 10/3 (4.33) | Likelihood: Possible