Inter v Arsenal: Champions League – live

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Mikel Arteta is asked by TNT Sports whether his captain Martin Ødegaard will feature tonight. “Let’s see … he’s only done one session … he brings another kind of energy … we need to use him if he wants to play so let’s see how the game develops … his character and personality … it is very important to start to get him back … we have already played this season with Declan Rice in other positions so we will adapt … Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino are both talented and physical … Mikel is a real threat in the box … Thomas can break the game down and progress the ball very well … two very important players for us … we need a big one … it’s a very iconic place against a great team … we have to have a very big match … we are ready for it … winning on big stages like this is always a big boost.”

Pennant watch. Both clubs keep it plain and simple with a no-frills approach, neither august institution up for any baroque frippery. Props to Arsenal for the metallic rail, going the extra mile over Inter’s simple cord-based suspension system, but a two-tone background beats plain white all day long so the hosts edge a close and classic contest.

Arsenal make one change to the XI sent out for Saturday lunchtime’s nondescript 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. Declan Rice has picked up an injury, and hasn’t travelled with the squad in the hope of making the weekend fixture against Chelsea. Ben White comes into the side. As expected, Martin Ødegaard returns after his long injury lay-off to take up a place on the bench.

The hosts Inter by contrast are well rested. Simone Inzaghi brings back five players stood down for their 1-0 victory over Venezia on Sunday. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Davide Frattesi, Mehdi Taremi, Matteo Darmian and Yann Bisseck return to the starting line-up, with Nicolò Barella, Marcus Thuram, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco and former Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan stepping down to the bench.

The teams

Internazionale: Sommer, Pavard, de Vrij, Bisseck, Dumfries, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Darmian, Taremi, Lautaro Martinez.
Subs: Di Gennaro, Josep Martinez, Arnautovic, Thuram, Acerbi, Buchanan, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco, Bastoni.

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Saka, Partey, Merino, Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard.
Subs: Neto, Setford, Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Robinson.

Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania).

Preamble

Inter and Arsenal have faced each other on two previous occasions. The away team has won comfortably both times, Thierry Henry missing a penalty at Highbury as the Italians won 3-0 in September 2003, then scoring twice in a 5-1 rout of the Nerazzurri at San Siro a couple of months later. So in that sense history favours Mikel Arteta’s side tonight. But more recent history does not: Inter have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions, and have only tasted defeat this season in the Milan derby back in September, while the Gunners have only taken one Premier League point from the latest nine available, and looked distinctly uncertain when hosting Shakhtar in their last Champions League fixture. So in that sense history doesn’t augur so well … but Martin Ødegaard could return from injury, which would give out-of-sorts Arsenal a huge boost ahead of this tricky but tantalising tie against the Italian champions. Kick-off at San Siro is 8pm GMT. It’s on!