The standout fixture in the penultimate round of Champions League group-stage matches is the clash between Inter Milan and Arsenal on Tuesday.
With progress into the knockout phase already assured, the visitors will head to Italy aiming to preserve the only perfect record left in Europe’s premier club competition.
Since returning from their Italian Super Cup sojourn in Saudi Arabia, where they were beaten on penalties by Bologna, Inter have put together a strong run of results to take charge of the Serie A title race.
Cristian Chivu’s men have won five of their last six matches, picking up 16 points from a possible 18 to sit three points clear of city rivals AC Milan.
Most recently, the Nerazzuri scraped past Udinese 1-0 thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s 20th-minute opener at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday.
Having made significant strides on the domestic front over the last couple of weeks, Inter will now look to take one step closer towards securing a guaranteed spot in the round of 16.
Sitting sixth in the league phase with 12 points from six matches, Inter are set for their toughest continental test of the season.
However, Tuesday’s hosts have a good record in this fixture, having won three of the previous four encounters.
Arsenal are also in the driving seat for league glory, sitting seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Mikel Arteta’s men would have been disappointed not have fully capitalised on Manchester City’s derby defeat to Manchester United.
Despite this, Saturday’s goalless stalemate against Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches across all competitions.
This kicked off with a 3-0 thrashing of Club Brugge in Arsenal’s last Champions League outing, leaving them with 18 points from a possible 18, three clear of Bayern Munich in second place.
Arsenal have already beaten Bayern and Atletico Madrid this season, and they will be confident of making another statement of intent against heavyweight opponents.
Only Tuesday’s visitors have conceded fewer goals (one) than their hosts (four), suggesting that a low-scoring affair is on the cards.
