AC Milan could be without goalkeeper Christian Abbiati for the trip to Real Madrid CF on 19 October after the 33-year-old strained his right thigh in Saturday's Serie A win at Parma FC.

Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati is a major doubt for AC Milan's trip to Real Madrid CF in UEFA Champions League Group G on 19 October because of a thigh injury.

Tests have confirmed that Abbiati strained his right thigh during the Rossoneri's 1-0 win at Parma FC on Saturday and according to the Milan medical staff the 33-year-old "will be out of action for 15 to 20 days".

The former Club Atlético de Madrid player could therefore miss a return to the Spanish capital when Milan take on Group G leaders Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. Massimiliano Allegri's men are second in the section with four points, two behind their next opponents, after beating AJ Auxerre at home and drawing at AFC Ajax.

Chelsea FC are likely to be without centre-back Alex for the 19 October trip to FC Spartak Moskva after the Brazilian sustained a thigh injury in Sunday's victory over Arsenal FC.

Defender Alex is expected to sit out Chelsea FC's UEFA Champions League Group F game at FC Spartak Moskva on 19 October because of a thigh muscle injury.

The 28-year-old centre-back sustained the injury in the closing stages of Sunday's 2-0 home victory against Arsenal FC after scoring Chelsea's second goal and has since withdrawn from the Brazil squad to face Ukraine on Monday. "It is estimated he will be out for three weeks," a club statement read.

English titleholders Chelsea are level with Spartak at the top of Group F after winning their opening two matches, against MŠK Žilina and Olympique de Marseille.

The FC Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa is a doubt for his side's Group H match away to Arsenal FC after being laid off for two weeks with a thigh problem.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa is an injury doubt for the Ukrainian club's UEFA Champions League tie against Arsenal FC.

The 20-year-old has been ruled out for at least two weeks after suffering a thigh strain during Shakhtar's 2-0 home victory over arch-rivals FC Dynamo Kyiv on Sunday. The Premier-Liha champions meet Arsenal in London on 19 October, both sides having won their first two Group H fixtures.

Another of Shakhtar's Brazilian midfielders, Fernandinho, has already been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a broken leg, though defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy is back in training following a hamstring injury.

FC Barcelona forward Pedro Rodríguez will miss the visit of Group D leaders FC København on 20 October after suffering a hamstring tear during their Liga draw with RCD Mallorca.

Forward Pedro Rodríguez is out of FC Barcelona's UEFA Champions League fixture at home to FC København on 20 October after tearing a hamstring.

The 23-year-old Spanish international was substituted late in his club's 1-1 Liga home draw against RCD Mallorca on Sunday, with subsequent tests revealing the extent of the injury.

Pedro faces three weeks on the sidelines, and as well as missing the visit of FCK he is out of Spain's UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania on Friday and in Scotland next Tuesday. Barcelona trail UEFA Champions League Group D leaders København by two points.

Versatile defender Jordi Alba was released by FC Barcelona as a teenager but has since emerged as one of an exciting new crop of talent at Valencia CF, taking the Liga by storm.

Name: Jordi Alba
Club: Valencia CF
Debut: 13/09/09 v Real Valladolid CF (Liga)
Position: defender/midfielder
Nationality: Spanish
Date of birth: 21/09/89

Following the departures of David Villa, David Silva and Carlos Marchena, Valencia CF fans would have been forgiven for fearing the worst as the new season began. But a side built around a promising core of youngsters has quickly found its feet with Jordi Alba among a group taking the step up in their stride as the club take the Liga by storm.

Having had to fight hard to get his chance with Valencia, Alba has seized it with both hands. As a teenager, he was discarded by FC Barcelona after playing in the same youth teams as Bojan Krkić and Sergio Busquets, and began turning out for regional side UE Cornellà. The Hospitalet-born player never lost sight of his long-term goals, however, continuing to work hard as a left-sided midfielder and developing the pace, accurate crossing and fierce shot that would eventually catch the attention of the Valencia scouts.

After moving down the east coast, Alba immediately impressed with the Valencia reserves, helping them seal promotion. International recognition followed when he was called up to Spain's UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad for the 2008 finals in the Czech Republic, yet he still needed to bide his time at club level. A loan spell with Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona in in 2008/09 gave Alba his first taste of regular football as he made 35 appearances in the Spanish second tier, scoring four goals.

Alba's progress has accelerated in the past year. He has featured for Spain's Under-21s and was given his opportunity by Valencia last term. Asked to fill in at left-back, Alba willingly accepted and continues to excel in the position as Valencia climb the Spanish Liga.

Breakthrough game
Valencia CF 2-0 UD Almería
21/03/10 Liga
With his side in the midst of an injury crisis, Jordi Alba came off the bench to replace youth-team player Lillo at half-time against Almería. Alba took his chance, helping Valencia win the game 2-0 and going on to finish the season as first-choice left-back.

He says:
"My intention is to continue to grow as a footballer and I'm going to continue working hard at that as I have done throughout my life."

"Wherever they put me on a pitch, whether it's in midfield or in defence, I'll always do the best I can; I only want to play. Although I realise I have a difficult season ahead I will take it more calmly than last year because I know now the coach knows me and I have more confidence."

They say:
"Well, he is a player with a big future who has great talent. He has everything in him to become a player of the highest level. But he is still only [21], so he needs patience and he needs to play more. But he has everything in the world to be a great player in the next years."
Spain striker David Villa on his former Valencia team-mate

SL Benfica centre-forward Óscar Cardozo faces a three-week lay-off with knee ligament damage, which puts him in doubt for the Matchday 3 trip to Olympique Lyonnais.

SL Benfica striker Óscar Cardozo is a doubt for the UEFA Champions League match away to Olympique Lyonnais on 20 October after damaging ligaments in his left knee.

The Paraguayan international had to be replaced during the second half of Wednesday's 2-0 Group B defeat at FC Schalke 04, with the Lisbon club now confirming the extent of the 27-year-old's injury.

Cardozo is expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks, immediately ruling him out of Sunday's home Portuguese Liga match against SC Braga. Benfica are third in UEFA Champions League Group B with three points from two games.

Olympique Lyonnais and FC København secured second wins on Wednesday while FC Internazionale Milano and Tottenham Hotspur FC scored four each in Group A victories.

København had plenty to celebrate in Greece

Away wins for Olympique Lyonnais and FC København put them on six points from two UEFA Champions League matches on a night when FC Internazionale Milano and Tottenham Hotspur FC both scored four goals – watch all the night's action.

Holders Inter and newcomers Tottenham both achieved their feats in Group A. Samuel Eto'o starred for the Nerazzurri as he scored three and made the other for Wesley Sneijder in a 4-0 defeat of SV Werder Bremen. Joining them on four points, Tottenham beat FC Twente 4-1 in their home UEFA Champions League debut, all the goals coming in the second half.

Lyon surged into a three-point lead in Group B after securing a 3-1 win at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, yet to get off the mark on their competition bow. FC Schalke 04 moved level with SL Benfica following a 2-0 victory against the Portuguese side in Germany.

The other team progressing to six points on Wednesday were København in Group D, 2-0 victors at Panathinaikos FC to follow their opening 1-0 defeat of FC Rubin Kazan. Rubin themselves held FC Barcelona 1-1 in Kazan and the three-time European champions are two points behind FCK.

Manchester United FC and Rangers FC drew 0-0 on Matchday 1 and both won their second fixtures. United triumphed 1-0 at Spanish leaders Valencia FC, now in third and a point adrift following Rangers' 1-0 win against Bursaspor, who like Hapoel and two sides defeated on Tuesday – MŠK Žilina and SC Braga – are without a point on their maiden campaign.

Highlights can be viewed in the match reports:

Group A
FC Internazionale Milano 4-0 SV Werder Bremen
Tottenham Hotspur FC 4-1 FC Twente

Group B
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC 1-3 Olympique Lyonnais
FC Schalke 04 2-0 SL Benfica

Group C
Valencia CF 0-1 Manchester United FC
Rangers FC 1-0 Bursaspor

Group D
Panathinaikos FC 0-2 FC København
FC Rubin Kazan 1-1 FC Barcelona

If FC København can play as impressively as they did at Panathinaikos FC when they travel to FC Barcelona next time out, Dame N'Doye says they have "a great chance of winning".

Dame N'Doye salutes the travelling fans in Athens

Dame N'Doye reflected on the power of the collective after FC København recorded their second successive Group D victory in impressive fashion away to Panathinaikos FC.

The Senegalese forward spent the 2007/08 season on loan with the Greek club but scored just twice in 19 league matches. N'Doye showed what he was all about last night, though, by opening the scoring with a stylish finish in the 28th minute and then winning the free-kick from which Martin Vingaard added a second soon after.

"It's always good to come to Athens but it was one team against another team and not just Dame N'Doye against Panathinaikos," he told UEFA.com. "We were very organised tonight and the important thing is that we stopped them from scoring. When you keep a clean sheet, nobody can beat you."

Seven goals in Danish top-flight games and the winner against FC Rubin Kazan on Matchday 1 are testament to the 25-year-old's early-season form. "I'm happy to be scoring goals but I haven't set myself any specific targets this season; I'm just going for any chance I have to score," added N'Doye.

"I think it was just a case of us being better than them today. We were not afraid and we were well prepared and didn't give them any chances. We managed to get the first goal and then keep them out and it was great to win."

Next up for Denmark's finest are back-to-back matches against the team they sit above in Group D, FC Barcelona. Looking ahead to the trip to Camp Nou on 20 October, N'Doye said: "If we play against Barcelona like we usually play then we have a chance of getting a positive result. The important thing will again be to stop them from scoring and if we can do that and get a goal on the break then we will have a great chance of winning."

"We needed this," said Michel Bastos after his two goals helped an Olympique Lyonnais side struggling on the domestic front seal a 3-1 victory at Group B rivals Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC.

Michel Bastos fired two first-half goals away against Hapoel

Olympique Lyonnais match-winner Michel Bastos is hoping that his side's 3-1 success away against Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC can serve as a springboard for a team still struggling to find form this season.

The Brazilian international set Lyon on the road to victory in Israel with an early penalty before doubling their lead courtesy of an emphatic volley as the interval approached. Hapoel goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama set up a nervy finale with a spot kick of his own with 11 minutes remaining, but Miralem Pjanić made sure of the win in added time to put Claude Puel's men three points clear at the top of UEFA Champions League Group B.

"We know that this is a difficult time for us and today we did our best and got a fantastic victory," said Bastos, whose side lie 18th in the Ligue 1 table. "This will restore confidence and help us to continue in the same manner. We needed this. It was a tough match, particularly because of the heat. Sometimes you play well and lose, like we did against St-Etienne [on Saturday]. In this game, we didn't play as well but we won.

"It was important to get the victory," he added. "I'm very happy. I'm lucky enough to have scored two goals in the Champions League and the second one was especially beautiful. I never hesitate to go for chances like that but this time I was lucky. Today we faced a strong team with a noisy crowd and now I hope we can show the same ability in the French league."

Full-back Anthony Réveillère put the outcome down to the visitors' physical power, meanwhile. "It was a very hard match against Hapoel's quick and technically good players," he explained. "Lyon are more physical and stronger than Hapoel and that made the difference between the teams. Hapoel are a good side with a tough stadium to come to and every team will have difficulty here."

The result leaves Hapoel bottom of the section ahead of their Matchday 3 trip to face FC Schalke 04 on 20 October – when Lyon host SL Benfica – and the Israeli club's forward Ben Sahar urged his team to learn from the loss. "Lyon are a big club with great players," he said. "Unlike us, they knew how to score from their chances. We've improved from our first game and we'll learn from our mistakes and hopefully get some points from the third match."

His late strike earned Manchester United FC the points at Valencia CF, but Javier Hernández insisted it was "the work the team put in" that made the difference between the sides.

Javier Hernández celebrates with his colleagues after putting United in front

If Manchester United FC's dramatic late victory at Valencia CF evoked the style of their famous 1999 UEFA Champions League final win against FC Bayern München, then Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández assumed the role of Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

This was only United's second win on Spanish soil since their glory night 11 years ago, signifying a tremendous achievement. And having watched substitutes Solskjær and Teddy Sheringham transform that Camp Nou showpiece, Sir Alex Ferguson found his ambition and confidence rewarded again after sending on young strikers Hernández and Federico 'Kiko' Macheda in the final 13 minutes at the Mestalla.

The two players linked up triumphantly for Hernández's winner five minutes from the whistle, and afterwards the 22-year-old Mexican international showed he possesses the humility which was Solskjær's trademark throughout his wonderful Old Trafford career.

"The expression you use for moments like this is that 'there isn't one hero here'," he told UEFA.com. "The work the team put in is what will remain with me as my key memory. Scoring the winner is pleasing, but to come here, win and keep a clean sheet is a testimony to how hard we all worked. We are happy, but this is just the beginning and a time to stay calm. After drawing the first home match, this gives us loads of confidence for the remaining games."

Both Macheda, who had not been on the pitch for 60 seconds before setting up the goal, and Hernández drew praise from team-mate Darren Fletcher. "Our goal was a well-worked move and finished off brilliantly by 'Chicharito' [Hernández]," he told UEFA.com. "Fair play to 'Kiko' [Macheda] because he had the chance to shoot but showed maturity and composure to find 'Chicharito' and give us the valuable win. We came here knowing it was important not to lose, but to take the three points is immense."

Valencia left the stadium beaten but unbowed – at least according to their experienced midfielder David Albelda. "I don't think we have to worry too much about raising the morale of the team after this defeat," he told UEFA.com. "Even though Valencia didn't deserve this result, we played well. We lost to a fine Champions League team and if we can continue to play this type of football then we will win more than we lose. I think United left with a bigger prize than their performance merited, but we will remain loyal to our playing style until the end."

Fresh from his hat-trick in FC Internazionale Milano's 4-0 defeat of SV Werder Bremen, Samuel Eto'o insisted that his side must remain "humble" if they are to defend their European title.

Samuel Eto'o celebrated his first hat-trick for Inter against Werder Bremen

Samuel Eto'o was all smiles after scoring his first hat-trick for FC Internazionale Milano but the star of the memorable 4-0 defeat of SV Werder Bremen insisted that only by remaining "humble" will the European champions stand a chance of retaining the coveted trophy they won last year.

Eto'o, deployed as Inter's sole striker in the absence of Diego Milito, gave a master class in leading the line as he scored twice in six first-half minutes, set up Wesley Sneijder before the interval and crowned an outstanding display with his third nine minutes from time.

Despite his glittering performance, the Cameroon forward refused to get carried away by a first win of the campaign which leaves the Nerazzurri topping Group A on goal difference ahead of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

"It was a great match," he told UEFA.com. "When you win you're always happy, and when you score it makes you even happier. But the most important thing in football is to win because tonight I could have scored three and Wesley [Sneijder] could have scored and we still might have lost. Winning is all important."

The former FC Barcelona striker has begun the season in ominous form, scoring nine goals in all competitions, and has no intention of slowing down: "I'm delighted because it's the first time I've scored a hat-trick [for Inter] but I hope it's not the last." Neither does Eto'o expect a fourth European Champion Clubs' Cup winners' medal to fall into his lap, however. Indeed, the 29-year-old went as far as to suggest that there are stronger teams in the competition than the holders.

"We will remain humble because we know that there are sides out there that are better than us, so we will just take it one match at a time and we will go as far as it takes us. This Champions League is complicated because there are sides like Real Madrid, Barça, Manchester United.

"There are also sides like Tottenham, who are a very, very good side even if they do not get the same headlines as Manchester United. So we will stay humble and we will try to give our best so that we can go as far as possible in the competition." Rafael Benítez and his players will get an idea of just how good Spurs are when they welcome the London club to Milan for their next Group A assignment on 20 October.

Olympique Lyonnais are on top of Group B after two successive wins but if there is a reason for caution ahead of the visit of SL Benfica, it lies in their record against opponents from Portugal.

Olympique Lyonnais lead the way in Group B after two wins and they will be hoping to increase their three-point advantage over SL Benfica when the sides meet at Stade de Gerland. Their record against opponents from Portugal, however, has room for improvement.

• Lyon got their Group B campaign off to a winning start courtesy of Michel Bastos's first-half strike against ten-man FC Schalke 04. They then travelled to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC where Bastos scored twice more in a 3-1 win, Miralem Pjanić getting the third.

• Benfica began with a 2-0 defeat of Hapoel courtesy of goals from Luisão and Óscar Cardozo but lost by the same scoreline at Schalke on Matchday 2.

Match background
• The sides have not met in a competitive fixture before though Lyon have crossed swords with FC Porto, SC Farense and Sporting Clube de Portugal. They have come out on top only twice in nine fixtures, winning home and away against Farense in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup first round. Their other four home games ended in two defeats and two draws.

• Benfica were 2-1 winners at Olympique de Marseille on their previous visit to France in last season's UEFA Cup round of 16. After the home leg ended 1-1, it gave them a 3-2 aggregate win; Maxi Pereira scored in both games and Alan Kardec notched the decisive goal in the away match. In 18 games against French opposition Benfica's record is W8 D5 L5; of nine away matches they have won four and lost four.

• Lyon are competing in the group stage for the 11th season running and have reached the knockout rounds in each of the last seven campaigns.

• In last term's UEFA Champions League, Les Gones recorded five wins and a draw – including the play-off round – at home before FC Bayern München got the better of them at Stade de Gerland in the semi-final second leg.

• In their last participation, in 2007/08, Portuguese champions Benfica lost at AC Milan and Celtic FC. On Matchday 6 they won 2-1 at FC Shakhtar Donetsk but still finished third in their group.

Team ties
• Pablo Aimar was in the Valencia CF team that beat Marseille 2-0 in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup final in Gothenburg.

• Lisandro scored three times against Benfica during his four years with Porto between 2005 and 2009.

• Maxi Pereira was in the Uruguay team that earned a 0-0 draw against France in the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage. Jérémy Toulalan, Yoann Gourcuff and Hugo Lloris were all on the opposing side with Anthony Réveillère an unused substitute.

• It was also 0-0 between Brazil and Portugal at the World Cup. Michel Bastos was on duty for the South American team, as was Luisão, while Fábio Coentrão played for Portugal and Ruben Amorim was on the bench.

• Nuno Gomes scored for Portugal against France in the UEFA EURO 2000 semi-final in Brussels. France came out on top however thanks to Zinédine Zidane's extra-time penalty.

FC Schalke 04 got their Group B bid up and running against SL Benfica and will be hoping for another three points when they face a Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC team who have lost their first two games.

FC Schalke 04 secured their first three points of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League by defeating SL Benfica and the visit of Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, who have lost their first two games, offers them the opportunity to further improve their standing in Group B.

• The German side bounced back from their opening defeat at Olympique Lyonnais with a 2-0 win against Benfica on Matchday 2. Hapoel, however, lost 2-0 in Lisbon in their first game before a 3-1 home reverse against Lyon.

Previous meetings
• The teams have not met before in European club competition and it is also the first time Schalke have faced a side from Israel.

• In last season's UEFA Europa League group stage Hapoel followed a 4-2 away defeat by Hamburger SV with a 1-0 win at home. Etey Shechter was on the scoresheet in the away game.

Match background
• Schalke, making their fourth UEFA Champions League appearance, last participated in 2007/08, reaching the quarter-finals before losing home and away to FC Barcelona. They won two of their home games with one draw and that Barcelona defeat.

• Hapoel are only the third Israeli team to reach the group stage. A 3-2 win at FC Salzburg in the play-off first leg paved their passage which was sealed with a 1-1 home draw in the decider. Eli Gutman's side had earlier edged past FK Aktobe 3-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round, losing the away leg 1-0, while in the previous stage they had defeated FK Željezničar 6-0, winning 1-0 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• In last season's UEFA Europa League, the Israeli champions lost three of their four away games in the competition proper, conceding nine goals in the process. They did, however, record a 3-0 victory at SK Rapid Wien.

Team ties
• Ivan Rakitić and Toto Tamuz came on as substitutes as Croatia beat Israel 1-0 in a UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on 13 October 2007. Ben Sahar and Dedi Ben-Dayan were unused replacements.

• Hans Sarpei was in the Ghana team that beat Nigeria 1-0 in the 2010 African Cup of Nations semi-final. Vincent Enyeama was in goal for the losing side.

• Raúl González helped Spain to a 2-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory against Israel in October 2000. Walid Badier featured for Israel.

FC Twente get an early opportunity for revenge on Matchday 3 when they host SV Werder Bremen, the side who eliminated them from European competition last season.

FC Twente get an early opportunity for revenge on Matchday 3 when they face the SV Werder Bremen side who eliminated them from Europe last season.

• Bremen beat Twente 4-2 on aggregate in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League round of 32.

• Both sides suffered heavy defeats last time out – Twente losing 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC, Bremen going down 4-0 at FC Internazionale Milano.

Previous meetings
• Theo Janssen hit the only goal after 39 minutes when a Twente side coached by Steve McClaren won the first leg of last term's UEFA Europa League tie.

• The lineups for that encounter on 18 February were:
Twente: Boschker, Stam, Wisgerhof, Douglas, Tiendalli, Perez (Tioté 70), Brama, Janssen, Ruiz, Nkufo, Stoch (De Jong 86).
Bremen: Wiese, Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen (Abdennour 32), Niemeyer (Borowski 77), Frings, Hunt, Özil (Almeida 67), Marin, Pizarro.

• Bremen turned the tie around with three goals in the first 27 minutes of the return – two from Claudio Pizarro and the third from Naldo. Luuk de Jong (33) pulled one back before Pizarro (58) completed his hat-trick.

Match background
• Twente have won their last two home meetings with Bundesliga opposition. Before beating Bremen, they defeated FC Schalke 04 2-1 in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage. These are their only two victories in 13 matches against German sides.

• Twente lost to VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup semi-final – 3-0 away and 2-1 at home – and suffered an even bigger disappointment against the same opponents in the final of the same competition in 1974/75. After a goalless first leg, their hopes were crushed by a 5-1 home defeat.

• Bremen's six previous visits to the Netherlands have brought five losses and one draw. The only time they avoided defeat was a goalless draw at AZ Alkmaar en route to a 2006/07 UEFA Cup quarter-final victory.

• Earlier in that same competition, Hugo Almeida became the last Bremen player to score on Dutch soil in a 3-1 defeat at AFC Ajax in the round of 32, a goal that secured a 4-3 aggregate success for the German side.

• Their 2-2 draw against Inter on Matchday 1 means Twente have lost just one of their last seven European home outings.

Team ties
• Twente coach Michel Preud'homme was in the SL Benfica side beaten 1-0 at 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League.

• He first met a German side in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup, suffering a 2-1 home defeat by FC Carl Zeiss Jena with R. Standard de Liège.

• With Standard, Preud'homme also had aggregate wins against Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in the 1980/81 UEFA Cup before a quarter-final defeat by 1. FC Köln. With KV Mechelen, he beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals in 1988/89, while with Benfica, he lost 4-1 at FC Bayern München in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup.

• Preud'homme was also in goal for Belgium's 1-0 defeats home and away by Germany in 1992 UEFA European Championship qualifying and a 3-2 last-16 reverse at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

• Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf never faced Dutch opposition as a player. The closest he got was a place on the bench for Bremen's 4-3 home defeat by Feyenoord in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – his last involvement in European competition before hanging up his boots.

• Twente have twice had German coaches: Fritz Korbach (1983-86) and Hans Meyer (1996-99).

• Janssen played in the Vitesse side that beat Bremen in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup second round.

• As Austria captain, Twente's Marc Janko is a team-mate of Bremen's Sebastian Prödl and Marko Arnautović.

• Arnautović played for Twente from 2007 to 2009. He made 44 Eredivisie appearances, all of his 12 goals coming in 2008/09. He spent last term on loan at Inter before joining Bremen.

• Petri Pasanen (Ajax 2000-04) and Daniel Jensen (SC Heerenveen 1998-2003) have also had spells in the Eredivisie.

Four months after leaving Liverpool FC, Rafael Benítez renews acquaintances with English opposition when his FC Internazionale Milano side welcome Tottenham Hotspur FC to San Siro.

Four months after leaving Liverpool FC, Rafael Benítez will pit his wits against English opposition once more as his FC Internazionale Milano side host Tottenham Hotspur FC on Matchday 3.

• In qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time last May, Tottenham helped push the Spaniard's Liverpool team out of the Premier League's top four places for the first time since 2005.

• Both teams have the incentive of knowing victory would give them the outright leadership of Group A. Inter and Spurs have four points apiece after impressive home wins on Matchday 2 – the Nerazzurri beat SV Werder Bremen 4-0, while Tottenham defeated FC Twente 4-1.

Match background
• Inter defeated Tottenham's London rivals Chelsea FC home and away in the round of 16 of last season's UEFA Champions League.

• They lost to Manchester United FC and Liverpool at that stage in 2008/09 and 2007/08 respectively. Indeed prior to beating Chelsea, Inter had drawn two and lost two of the preceding four home games against English visitors.

• Inter's overall home record against English opposition is W7 D3 L2.

• Tottenham's one previous trip to San Siro was a 1-1 draw with Inter's rivals AC Milan, Alan Mullery scoring the visitors' goal. That earned them a 3-2 aggregate victory at the semi-final stage of their triumphant 1971/72 UEFA Cup campaign.

• The north London club's only other encounter with Serie A opposition was a 2-0 loss at Udinese Calcio in the UEFA Cup group stage on 23 October 2008.

• Inter have recorded five straight home wins in the UEFA Champions League.

• Tottenham's two away outings in the competition have both featured flying starts. In their play-off at BSC Young Boys they trailed 3-0 inside 28 minutes before reducing the deficit to 3-2. At Bremen on Matchday 1, they scored twice in the first 18 minutes, eventually drawing 2-2.

Team ties
• During his six seasons with Liverpool from 2004 to 2010, Benítez faced Spurs manager Harry Redknapp 13 times. Peter Crouch, who played under the Spaniard at Anfield from 2005 to 2008, scored for Redknapp's Southampton FC side in a 2-0 victory against Liverpool in their first encounter in January 2005.

• Benítez held the upper hand in head-to-heads when Redknapp was at Portsmouth FC with three wins, two draws and only one loss. Niko Kranjčar scored the winner in Portsmouth's solitary victory in April 2007.

• At Tottenham Redknapp won all three home meetings with Benítez's Liverpool but lost both away.

• With Valencia CF in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League, Benítez oversaw home and away wins against future employers Liverpool in the first group stage. In the second group stage, his Valencia side earned an away draw and home victory against Arsenal FC. Valencia's run was ended by Inter in the quarter-finals.

• Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are team-mates with the Netherlands and also played together at AFC Ajax (2002-05) and Real Madrid CF (2008/09).

• Carlo Cudicini started his career with Milan but never played in Serie A for the Rossoneri.

• Heurelho Gomes was Júlio César's deputy in Brazil's FIFA World Cup squad in South Africa. Lucio and Maicon were also in the Brazil team.

• Samuel Eto'o is a colleague of Sébastien Bassong and Benoît Assou-Ekotto in the Cameroon national team.

• Sulley Muntari played under Redknapp at Portsmouth in 2007/08. He helped Redknapp claim his first major trophy as a manager, that season's FA Cup, with a quarter-final winner at Manchester United FC.

• Marco Materazzi spent 1998/99 at Everton.

• Robbie Keane was at Inter in 2000/01. In Serie A he made six appearances without scoring. He scored once in five European outings, against Ruch Chorzów in the UEFA Cup.

• Jermaine Jenas played in the Newcastle side that drew 2-2 at Inter in March 2003 in a UEFA Champions League second group stage game.