Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Following Inter Milan’s humbling (5-0) defeat to PSG in the UEFA Champions League final, the writing was on the wall for Simone Inzaghi to make way, with Cristian Chivu assuming the reins at Nerazzurri.

Inter Milan have been dealt a favourable hand in Group E and are fully expected to finish on top, because despite the unforgettable loss to PSG, this Inter Milan team are blessed with plenty of quality footballers.

A former treble winner with the Italian club in 2009/10, under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho, newly appointed Inter manager Cristian Chivu proudly claimed, “It’s a new version of an old project. We need to be aware that a team like Inter need the right kind of attitude and ambition. The bar has been raised.”

Chivu continued, “We need to have a lot of confidence and self-belief to keep the team where it is at the moment. I’ve known the team and the club for a long time. All the way since back with the youth teams.”

“For me it’s not a problem. I know the personal qualities that are in the dressing room. What I’m trying to tell them is that the journey they’ve managed is fantastic. They can’t forget all that,”  added the Romanian.

Spending six years as a coach within Inter Milan’s youth ranks, Chivu has inherited a team that was on the winning side of possibly the best two-legged UEFA Champions League contest, triumphing 7-6 over Barcelona.

Inter were ousted to the Serie A title by a single point, while focusing more of their attention on the UCL matches with Barcelona. After reaching the UCL final in two of the last three seasons, unfortunately succumbing to defeat both times against Manchester City and PSG, this group of Inter Milan players will be hungry to cross the finish line under the guidance of a familiar face in Chivu. 

Following their opener against Argentine giants River Plate, Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds switch their focus to their toughest task in Group E, testing their skills in a showdown with UCL final regulars Inter Milan.

Manager Maciej Skorza led Urawa Reds to their 2022/23 AFC Champions League victory. The Polish tactician was brought back after the Reds’ fall from grace, with fourth- and 13th-place finishes in the following seasons prompting Skorża’s interim return – a role made permanent in April 2025. 

After the permanent appointment, Urawa Reds went on to win seven of their next eight league matches. The Japanese team might take some by surprise with their style of football, relying heavily on their wingers and midfielders to play long balls into open spaces, putting even the best defences on the back foot. With renewed confidence and tactical clarity, Urawa enter this clash with nothing to lose and everything to prove.