Both sides have seen off Viktoria Plzen but lost to Bayern Munich, but the hosts have endured their worst Serie A start for 11 years while their Catalan counterparts are unbeaten in seven La Liga games to date. Tonight, leveled on points, Inter Milan and Barcelona are heading into the third matchday of Champions League Group C.Something is not right among Nerazzurri. Not for the first time this season, their lead was overturned at the weekend, as Simone Inzaghi’s side let slip a one-goal advantage to lose 2-1 at home to Roma. Suffering four defeats in eight matches equals the Milan club’s slowest start to a season throughout their top-flight history – and to make it even more painful it was their first loss to the Giallorossi (now lead by their past hero Jose Mourinho) since 2017.Mourinho-less Roma push Inzaghi closer to the abyssAs far as their Champions League campaign goes, victory against Viktoria Plzen was a must and Nerazzuri delivered. The round before that, Inter lost at home to Bayern but they have tended to fare much better at San Siro in recent times: before their setback against Roma, they had won each of their last seven home games in the league – keeping four clean sheets in the process.When it comes to meeting with the Catalans, Inter have won only once from five meetings with Barcelona in Milan. Needless to say, they will need to overcome precedent to pick up maximum points this week. There is every chance Bayern will sprint into the distance by sweeping past Plzen, so back-to-back matches against the Blaugrana could be decisive.Xavi plans to use a 3 at the back formation vs Inter, with Marcos Alonso as one of the centre backs.— @sport pic.twitter.com/Bhkxo1sXo9— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 4, 2022 Speaking about Barcelona, they surely do not want to suffer the same fate they had last year when they failed to make it through the group stage, finishing third behind Bayern and Benfica.Thanks to some slick accounting maneuvers, the Catalan giants were able to add a number of players to their squad over the summer, including star striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored his ninth goal of the season on Saturday against Mallorca.Ahead of their match against the Italian side, Xavi has a clear vision of how his men can prevail at San Siro.”Dominate, have the ball and play in the opponent’s half.” said the 42-year-old at the press conference. “We did it at Real Sociedad. We have to take risks, be brave… it is our philosophy, going for the game, looking forward, not letting Inter run.”It is now seven years since they last lifted the continent’s top trophy, but recent events suggest Xavi’s current crop could be among the contenders to prevail in Istanbul next June.Before the international break, they succumbed to Bayern, with former Allianz Arena hero Lewandowski left ruing several missed chances against his erstwhile employers. That 2-0 loss in Bavaria represented Barca’s fifth defeat in their last nine group-stage games.There is all to play for, with six points on offer across both fixtures between the Blaugrana and Inter over the coming days and what could prove a major factor is the contrast in confidence between both camps.Xavi: “The game against Inter? For us it’s a very important game, not decisive, but very important. After losing against Bayern we need these three points.” pic.twitter.com/FUavtQfhnj— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 3, 2022 The rosters aren’t at their best with either side. Inter will once again be without midfield fulcrum Marcelo Brozovic due to an injury sustained on international duty. Romelu Lukaku remains on the road to recovery from a thigh injury, so Edin Dzeko and Joaquin Correa could find themselves paired if Lautaro Martinez cannot shake off a thigh problem of his own – which means Inzaghi’s favoured 3-5-2 formation will go down the drain. Hakan Calhanoglu returned and should feature in midfield, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan will compete for selection with Kristjan Asllani and Roberto Gagliardini to join Nicolo Barella and the Turk.Between the posts, Andre Onana should be handed another Champions League opportunity as club captain Samir Handanovic’s performances have come under close scrutiny of late.Meanwhile, Barcelona travel to Italy without Memphis Depay, Frenkie De Jong and Jules Kounde, after they each picked up injuries in the Nations League last month.Hector Bellerin is sidelined by a calf problem sustained in training last week while Ronald Araujo may miss the rest of 2022 after undergoing thigh surgery. As a result, either Alex Balde or Sergi Roberto must fill in at right-back.After starting Saturday’s game on the bench, Pedri and Raphinha are likely to come back into the starting XI, as Xavi continues to rotate his resources amid a packed schedule leading towards the World Cup.As mentioned earlier, confidence could be key tonight and it is clear the La Liga outfit have the upper hand there.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEGroup stage, matchday 3Tuesday19.45: (1.05) Bayern (14.0) Plzen (35.0)19.45: (2.35) Olympique Marseille (3.35) Sporting (3.30)22.00: (2.35) Ajax (3.50) Napoli (3.15)22.00: (1.18) Liverpool (8.00) Rangers (18.0)22.00: (4.10) Club Brugge (3.50) Atl.Madrid (2.00)22.00: (2.20) Porto (3.50) Leverkusen (3.50)22.00: (5.00) Inter (3.70) Barcelona (1.80)22.00: (3.35) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.50) Tottenham (2.25)Wednesday19.45: (1.75) Salzburg (3.70) Dinamo Zagreb (5.40)19.45: (1.60) RB Leipzig (4.10) Celtic (6.25)22.00: (1.75) Chelsea (3.70) Milan (5.40)22.00: (1.20) Real Madrid (7.75) Shakhtar (16.0)22.00: (1.05) Man.City (14.0) Copenhagen (35.0)22.00: (2.95) Sevilla (3.40) Dortmund (2.55)22.00: (4.90) Benfica (4.00) PSG (1.75)22.00: (1.30) Juventus (6.00) Maccabi Haifa (11.0)***odds are subject to change
