Probable teams

Inter Milan (4-2-3-1): Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu; Zanetti, Stankovic; Pandev, Sneijder, Coutinho; Eto’o

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-1-1): Gomes; Hutton, Gallas, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Bale; Modric; Crouch

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)


Rafael Benítez reckons Inter Milan will face a better Tottenham side tomorrow night than the one that beat his Liverpool team to fourth place in the Barclays Premier League last season.

Inter coach Benítez has been handed a quick reunion with Spurs after the holders were paired with the north Londoners in Champions League Group A.

Liverpool regularly finished in the Premier League top four during Benitez's six-year reign, which ended in the summer when they could only manage seventh place.

Tottenham, meanwhile, qualified for the Champions League for the first time and have so far impressed in Europe's elite club competition, having matched Inter's feat of taking four points from their opening two group games.

Benítez has been impressed with their progress, saying today: "I believe that Tottenham have improved quite a lot.

"They invested a lot of money and now they have a lot of quality players in the squad.

"So I believe that tomorrow we have to be very attentive."

Spurs will be missing two of their best players in the suspended Rafael van der Vaart and the injured Ledley King, while Inter could be able to call upon recently-recovered trio Esteban Cambiasso, Goran Pandev and Ivan Cordoba.

"If they are in the squad, that means they can play," said Benítez.

"For how long is a question I can only answer after tomorrow's training session."

Benítez faced a thankless task succeeding Jose Mourinho at all-conquering Inter during the summer but he is confident of building a better side than last season's treble-winning team.

"It's true that always it's difficult when you have won a lot of trophies to change things," he said.

"But I felt the players were quite happy to change something and try to keep the same mentality, the same idea, when they were playing counter-attack, and try to improve a little bit in possession.

"It was easy for me because, talking with them, they were saying, 'OK, we like to do this and we will try to do it'."

Veteran Inter captain Javier Zanetti played down the differences in the approaches of Mourinho and Benítez.

"I don't think there is any particular reign here, only work, both from Mourinho and from Benítez," said the 37-year-old Argentina stalwart.

"We were working quite a lot with Mourinho and we are working quite a lot with Benítez.

"They have, obviously, different ideas but they both have the goal of getting trophies with Inter."

Despite Spurs' status as Champions League rookies, Zanetti is wary of the attacking threat they pose.

"I believe Tottenham are a very good team and, above all, they are dangerous on the counter," he said. They are very, very speedy players.

"We need to pay particular attention, too, to the set-piece because they are very dangerous."

But the defensive midfielder stopped short of anointing Tottenham as Inter's biggest rivals in the group, adding: "We obviously respect all the teams in this group. I believe that it is a very balanced group.

"We have another strong team in Werder Bremen and you saw how many problems we had against Twente away. So we have not to underestimate anyone."



Touchline duel
Harry Redknapp said yesterday that he didn’t “know Rafa that well” but the pair sparred for six years in the Premier League. However Benitez has always been more at home in European competition.

Redknapp, despite his protests, is still a novice. In saying that, Benitez has endured a mixed start to his career at Inter although the team is now improving rapidly - after beating Werder Bremen 4-0 in this competition.

Talking tactics
Harry Redknapp’s instincts are laudable if sometimes criticised as naive. Attack. But he can’t do that. It will be suicide to be gung-ho. Instead he will look to counter-attack quickly, especially through Gareth Bale whose match-up down the flank against Maicon will be fascinating.

Spurs have abandoned a 4-4-2 approach with Inter using the 4-2-3-1, with two holding midfielders, which is Benitez’s template.

Key battles
Lucio v Peter Crouch: Lucio proved an inspired signing by former Inter manager Jose Mourinho just over a year ago, the Brazil captain emerging as the rock on which the club's historic treble success was built.

The 32-year-old has improved immeasurably as a defender in recent years and remains a real threat going forward. Crouch continues to confound Champions League defences, with Young Boys, Werder Bremen and FC Twente all failing to deal with his aerial threat. But there is probably not a team better equipped to deal with the striker than Inter.

Maicon v Gareth Bale: Maicon has developed into arguably the best attacking full-back in the world and was unsurprisingly named UEFA's club defender of the year last season.

Bale, meanwhile, has been one of the stars of the current campaign both at home and abroad and the prospect of seeing him go toe to toe with the Brazil star is arguably the most mouthwatering of all the head-to-head clashes at the San Siro.

Samuel Eto'o v William Gallas: Having diligently fitted into Mourinho's tactical masterplan by playing on the left last season, an injury to Diego Milito has seen Eto'o restored to his favoured centre-forward role.

The Cameroon striker has responded magnificently, scoring 10 goals in his last nine games, including a hat-trick against Bremen in Inter's last Champions League outing. Injury has prevented Gallas making the kind of impact he would have liked at Spurs following his controversial defection from Arsenal.

But his return to fitness could not be more timely following Ledley King's latest problems and his experience will be vital against Inter.


Match

as usual Inter knows what to do

Tot would spring a surprise

Am expecting a draw but if milan manage to beat us it will only be by one goal.

The Spuds shouldn't have bothered travelling.

This is just a wasted journey

manmustwac:

Am expecting a draw but if milan manage to beat us it will only be by one goal.

u can say that again

^^i was referring to the return leg.

OMO IBO:

The Spuds shouldn't have bothered travelling.

This is just a wasted journey

He be like say them no dey hear simple advice ooo . .  

Ref completely ruined the dynamics of this game

Gareth bale has been schooling arguably the best rb in the world so far, this kid is too good

Why did spuds embarassing EPL so early?

jalether:

Ref completely ruined the dynamics of this game

Gareth bale has been schooling arguably the best rb in the world so far, this kid is too good

Schooling without any result to show for it? . . . good players also schooled baresi, maldini and other worldclass defenders during their prime.

The Spuds are embarassing the EPL
and William Gallasson, what were you thinking

Pharoh:

Schooling without any result to show for it? . . . good players also schooled baresi, maldini and other worldclass defenders during their prime.

Schooling my right foot( my right foot sucks, I play with my left )
like schooling win games
Its 0-4 at the San siro. , . . . .
This is a disgrace!

Pharoh:

Schooling without any result to show for it? . . . good players also schooled baresi, maldini and other worldclass defenders during their prime.

And so, na gareth talk say make gk collect red card?

That red card incident was the defining moment in this game . . .when you are short of men to convert one of your crosses, that's

not the wingers fault abeg. give the dude some credit

4-0 end of first half haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Premiership How market?

In other news

Rangers are one nil up against Valencia

jalether:

And so, na gareth talk say make gk collect red card?

That red card incident was the defining moment in this game . . .when you are short of men to convert one of your crosses, that's

not the wingers fault abeg. give the dude some credit

To be honest that penalty looks 50 - 50 to me but cmon inter was already 1-0 up before that red card.

So you mean if a team like arsenal or barcelona is one man down to inter then that is reason for inter to be leading 4-0

Abeg even 11-11 tottenham is no march for inter . .  this na champions league na.

HNIC:

Schooling my right foot( my right foot sucks, I play with my left )
like schooling win games
Its 0-4 at the San siro. , . . . .
This is a disgrace!

Abeg some of us come watch schooling for san siro ooooo . . . shebi arsenal schooled shark tata yesterday tooo.

Make i go watch more schooling jare . . . school ko lecture ni.

Pharoh:

To be honest that penalty looks 50 - 50 to me but cmon inter was already 1-0 up before that red card.

So you mean if a team like arsenal or barcelona is one man down to inter then that is reason for inter to be leading 4-0

Abeg even 11-11 tottenham is no march for inter . .  this na champions league na.

I was referring to gareth bale specifically. . . my comment has nothing to do with spurs performance so far in this match

ofcourse inter are superior to spurs but not by a long stretch and no one is disputing that, however no one can deny that spurs would have offered

more threat to inter with 11 v 11. whichever angle you want to look at it, the sending off has had a significant impact on this game

Trust the Spud fans just like the Kop to continue singing
kudos

Pharoh:

He be like say them no dey hear simple advice ooo . .  

LOL
What do you expect when you have a manager like 'Arry redknapp who thinks he is world class.

Bloody Hell,
Gareth Bale is good.
What a solo run and goal.

Pharoh:

Abeg some of us come watch schooling for san siro ooooo . . . shebi arsenal schooled shark tata yesterday tooo.  

Make i go watch more schooling jare . . . school ko lecture ni.  

HNIC:

Schooling my right foot( my right foot sucks, I play with my left )
like schooling win games
Its 0-4 at the San siro. ,  . . . .
This is a disgrace!

You were saying what about gareth?. . . .

Both of you should bury your heads in shame . . . he just butress my argument. . very reliable player this kid is

Hahahahahahah

Commentator just said The Spuds are singing 'we will win 5-4'

LMAO

OMO IBO:

Gareth Bale is good.
What a solo run and goal.

bale is perhaps the best left back in the EPL as we speak

HNIC:

bale is perhaps the best left back in the EPL as we speak

I do not mind having a whiff of whatever you are smoking

jalether:

You were saying what about gareth?. . . .

Both of you should bury your heads in shame . . . he just butress my argument. . very reliable player this kid is

No one is doubting Bale's skills
But for you to talk about a one on one battle between two players when the scores are 4-0 is ridiculous.
It's like talking about Eduardo's silky skills yesterday when his team were down 5-0
Footie is a team game.

OMO IBO:

I do not mind having a whiff of whatever you are smoking

Shebi you went to school naah. . . .
Perhaps in a sentence means what?
on current form, abeg name two players ahead of him

HNIC:

No one is doubting Bale's skills
But for you to talk about a one on one battle between two players when the scores are 4-0 is ridiculous.
It's like talking about Eduardo's silky skills yesterday when his team were down 5-0
Footie is a team game.

Why should I give a bleep that spurs are trailing by 4 nil. . . I'm watching the game from a neutral's point of view and cant see

any fault in commenting on a single player's performance.

HNIC:

Shebi you went to school naah. . . .
Perhaps in a sentence means what?
on current form, abeg name two players ahead of him

When there's an Ashely Cole somewhere the word 'perhaps' becomes redundant.

Spurs are hoiding their own this 2nd half.

Raul levels Muller's record
Now, that's a legend!

OMO IBO:

When there's an Ashely Cole somewhere the word 'perhaps' becomes redundant.

Its debatable.
Ashley was magnificent last season,but Bale is at the same level or 'I dare say' slightly above him thus far