Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Back to the Champions League The Nerazzurri will have to take a break from its red-hot start to Serie A, where it boasts four wins, 13 goals scored, and one conceded, but European nights are back. Inter is now a bit more seasoned abroad thanks to last year?s run to the final, and while a repeat is unlikely, the group stage draw has seemed to pave the way to another deep Champions League run. Of course, that requires Inter to navigate a tricky but not impossible Group D (featuring Benfica and RB Salzburg as well), and where better to begin than against Real Sociedad in the beautiful Basque Country.

Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Real Sociedad currently sits 10th in La Liga with one win and three draws from its first four outings. Managed since 2018 by Imanol Alguacil, the Spanish club finished 4th in 2022/23 with 71 points, booking a Champions League spot for the first time in a decade with 7 points to spare. Alguacil has had the same squad at his disposal for much of his tenure and this consistency and year-over-year improvement is a big reason Sociedad has reached Europe?s grandest stage. Nonetheless, it will be hard-pressed to go much further considering the paltry sum of ?17.40 million spent in the summer market, not quite an outlay matching the income brought by the Champions League. Sociedad did manage to keep its spine of Spanish internationals Martín Zubimen...