Both beaten on the opening day of their Champions League campaign, Inter Milan and Czech champions Viktoria Plzen meet on Tuesday evening at Stadion mesta Plzne.

The pair will be aiming to get off the mark in a competitive Group C, which also features their respective first-day conquerors: Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Match preview

Lautaro Martinez in action for Inter Milan on September 7, 2022 © Reuters

Just days after they had slumped to derby defeat against city rivals Milan - their second Serie A setback in three matches - Inter kicked off their latest Champions League campaign by hosting one of the continent's top teams at San Siro.

Though they managed to push Liverpool close in the knockout stages of last season's competition, the Nerazzurri were no match for the perennial Bundesliga champions last Wednesday, and conceding goals either side of the interval saw them suffer a 2-0 reverse on Group C's opening night.

Since being dethroned as Italian champions by Milan in May - and losing the Coppa Italia final to Juventus - Simone Inzaghi's second season in charge had begun on a brighter note, but recent results meant that pressure was on to produce three points at home to Torino on Saturday.

Sitting only eighth in the league standings before the game got under way, Inzaghi's side were within moments of being forced to settle for a draw by dogged opponents, but a magical moment of inspiration between Nicolo Barella and Marcelo Brozovic finally unlocked the visitors' defence in the 89th minute.

Inter have now won each of their last seven Serie A home games, but their next assignment in a packed autumn schedule sends them to the Czech Republic, where they won 3-1 against Slavia Prague in 2019, on their only previous visit in the Champions League.

Given such a tough draw, this week's encounter could already be billed as the first leg of a decider for third place, but if the Nerazzurri instead intend to push for a top-two place, then victory is almost essential.

Barcelona's Jules Kounde in action with Viktoria Plzen's Jan Sykora in the Champions League on September 7, 2022 © Reuters

Having never won their first fixture of a Champions League group stage in three previous attempts, Viktoria Plzen were always unlikely to end that run last Wednesday, when they journeyed to Catalonia for an encounter with Barcelona.

At times overrun by Xavi's remodelled side, Plzen fought hard to stay in touch with their illustrious hosts, but after going behind on 13 minutes, they were ultimately sent home licking the wounds from a 5-1 thrashing.

A brief moment of hope provided by Jan Sykora bringing them back within a goal just before the break was soon extinguished when Robert Lewandowski netted the second strike of his hat-trick in first-half stoppage time; effectively ending any chance of a major upset.

Nonetheless, the Czech First League champions are in otherwise fine form ahead of Inter's arrival, as not only have they won six of their first seven domestic matches to sit top of the table again - including Saturday's 3-2 success at Sigma Olomouc - but they also navigated a tricky path in Europe.

Starting their journey to the group phase in the second qualifying round, Michal Bilek's side saw off HJK Helsinki, Sheriff Tiraspol and Qarabag in order to secure their spot among the elite, but they are now required to take a significant step-up in class.

Viktoria Plzen Champions League form:

Viktoria Plzen form (all competitions):

Inter Milan Champions League form:

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

Team News

Inter Milan's Simone Inzaghi on August 13, 2022 © Reuters

Following his decision to finally rest long-serving captain Samir Handanovic against Bayern last week, Simone Inzaghi will again turn to former Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana on Tuesday evening.

With a trip to Handanovic's former club Udinese ahead at the weekend, Inter may opt to rotate their resources in other areas too, as Robin Gosens, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alessandro Bastoni all push for a recall after featuring from the bench against Torino; Francesco Acerbi could make his debut in defence.

Joaquin Correa should partner Edin Dzeko up front, with Lautaro Martinez rested and Romelu Lukaku still short of fitness following a thigh injury.

After scoring twice at the weekend, Tomas Chory should retain his place as Plzen's centre-forward ahead of fellow striker Fortune Bassey - the former was directly involved in four goals from six games during the qualifiers.

As against Barcelona, Michal Bilek is expected to name Pavel Bucha and Lukas Kalvach as his central-midfield pairing in a 4-2-3-1 formation; Jan Sykora - who has two goals in his last three games, including one at Camp Nou - should feature on the right flank.

Viktoria Plzen possible starting lineup:
Stanek; Holik, Hejda, Pernica, Havel; Kalvach, Bucha; Sykora, Vlkanova, Mosquera; Chory

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Onana; Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Darmian; Correa, Dzeko

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We say: Viktoria Plzen 1-1 Inter Milan

Since their late collapse at Lazio last month, Inter have struggled for fluency and are a shadow of the side which lifted the Scudetto just over a year ago. Clearly missing the presence of Lukaku, they may find it tough to break down a capable Plzen team that can cause damage on the break.

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