Preview:Union SG vs Inter Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking their seventh straight win, Italian giants Inter Milan will visit Union SG on Tuesday, with the sides separated by three points in the early Champions League table.

Amid an impressive success streak at home and abroad, Inter have won both European games so far, while the Belgian champions were well beaten last time out.

Match preview

Continuing in the vein of last year's league phase, Inter have won their first two fixtures without conceding a goal; first beating Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, before putting three past Slavia Prague at San Siro.

Star striker Lautaro Martinez scored twice against Slavia, after Marcus Thuram had bagged a brace in the Netherlands, while the Nerazzurri's defence remained rock solid.

Remarkably, the Milan club have now kept 10 clean sheets in their last 11 group or league phase matches; winning 11 and losing just one of the last 16.

Since being humbled by Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 final, Inter have begun to rebuild under rookie coach Cristian Chivu, and they have recently found some serious momentum.

Beating table-toppers Roma on Saturday night took Inter up to 15 points in Serie A, as a 1-0 win hauled them level with both the Giallorossi and Scudetto holders Napoli.

Deputising for the injured Thuram at Stadio Olimpico, Ange-Yoan Bonny decided matters with an early strike, recording his fifth goal involvement in two games either side of the international break.

So, the Nerazzurri's last loss remains a dramatic 4-3 Derby d'Italia defeat to Juventus in September, and they will be full of confidence ahead of their first meeting with Union Saint-Gilloise.

Union SG are the reigning Belgian champions, having ended their 90-year wait for a league title last season and completed a domestic double.

Earlier this month, the Brussels club went into their first Champions League home fixture of the campaign on the back of their own impressive success streak - but that was brutally ended by Newcastle United.

After posting five straight wins in all competitions, including a 3-1 away victory over PSV on the opening matchday, Union suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat to the Premier League side, who scored twice in either half.

Playing at Anderlecht's stadium, as their own Stade Joseph Marien is not considered fit to host UEFA matches, they must now welcome even more formidable opposition to the Belgian capital.

Head coach David Hubert - who replaced Monaco-bound title-winning boss Sebastien Pocognoli - has hinted that finishing in the top 24 is his aim, as that would be good enough to clinch a place in the knockout playoffs.

With that in mind, even a home draw against Inter would keep his team on track to meet what seems to be an attainable objective.

Meanwhile, on the domestic front, Les Unionistes have picked up where they left off last term, with Saturday's 3-1 win over Charleroi keeping them three points clear of Club Brugge at the top of the Pro League table.

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Team News

A talisman for Inter en route to two Champions League finals, Martinez is the competition's joint-top scorer for 2025; a tally of 10 goals in just nine appearances so far leaves him level with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

As Thuram is still struggling with a hamstring injury, either in-form Bonny or Italy striker Francesco Pio Esposito should partner 'El Toro' - the latter recently registered both his first Serie A strike and a first senior international goal.

Only Matteo Darmian (calf) is also unavailable, so Chivu has some scope to make changes between tough league games against Roma and Napoli: fringe players such as Petar Sucic, Davide Frattesi, Piotr Zielinski and Carlos Augusto could be promoted from the bench.

Meanwhile, Union Saint-Gilloise will be without Mohammed Fuseini (ankle), but Raul Florucz is back from a one-match European ban and should start up front.

Florucz is set to support Canadian striker Promise David, who scored 19 goals as Les Unionistes won the title last term.

As ever, Union can bank on the experience of Christian Burgess and Kevin Mac Allister in a three-man defence, while Mathias Rasmussen is a key cog in midfield.

Union SG possible starting lineup:

Scherpen; Mac Allister, Burgess, Leysen; Khalaily, Zorgane, Rasmussen, Niang; Ait El Hadj; Florucz, David

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Sucic, Calhanoglu, Frattesi, Augusto; Bonny, Martinez

We say: Union SG 1-2 Inter Milan

Even scoring against Inter in the Champions League is something of an achievement, but that may not be enough for Union SG to topple the Italian giants.

Ahead of schedule, the Nerazzurri are becoming a calculated winning machine under their inexperienced manager, and they are set to post seven straight victories.

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