Champions League: Union SG vs. Inter, the complete guide

Inter return to the pitch in the UEFA Champions League for third matchday of the league phase 2025/26. Christian Chivu's Nerazzurri will face Union Saint-Gilloise at the RSC Anderlecht Stadium in Brussels on Tuesday, October 21 at 21:00 CEST.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

This will be the first-ever meeting between Inter and Union Saint-Gilloise in a UEFA competition. The only previous encounter between the two clubs dates back to the Coppa Velodromo Sempione, a friendly tournament held in Milan on 5 April 1920. The match ended with a 4-1 victory for the Belgians, with Aebi scoring for Inter.

The last time the Nerazzurri faced a Belgian side was over twenty years ago: in December 2004, they beat Anderlecht 3-0 in the Champions League. Inter have won their last three matches against Belgian clubs in Europe, all against Anderlecht between 1997 and 2004, after recording just two victories in their first seven encounters with teams from that country (2 draws, 3 losses).

THE NERAZZURRI FORTRESS

Inter go into this game on the back of two consecutive wins, without conceding, in the Champions League. 2-0 against Ajax and 3-0 against Slavia Praha. Inter have never won their first three Champions League games while keeping a clean sheet in each.

Since the 2022/23 season began, Inter have the most Champions League clean sheets: 22 in 38 games (58%), both a record for the period.

LAUTARO MARTINEZ, LEADER IN EUROPE

Captain, leader, and talisman. Lautaro Martínez is among the top scorers in the 2025 UEFA Champions League with ten goals in nine games, level with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé. The Argentine has scored from nearly half of his shots (48%), the best conversion rate among players with at least ten attempts in the calendar year.

With 59 appearances in the Champions League, Lautaro is just behind Iván Córdoba (60) in the all-time Inter list. Ahead of him are Javier Zanetti (97) and Esteban Cambiasso (62).

SOMMER'S STATS

Yann Sommer continues to be a key player for Inter. According to data on expected goals (xG) from shots faced, the Swiss goalkeeper has prevented the most goals in the Champions League since the start of the 2023/24 season: -6.98 (19 goals conceded versus 25.98 xG). A statistic that confirms the reliability of Inter’s number one.

THE OPPONENT | UNION SAINT-GILLOISE

Union Saint-Gilloise head into the clash with Inter after experiencing a notable change. During the international break, the Belgian club made an unexpected change in the dug-out: David Hubert was appointed as the team’s new head coach. The former Leuven manager replaced Sébastien Pocognoli, who moved to Monaco. Hubert led Union for the first time in last Saturday’s league match, securing his first three points with a 3-1 win over Charleroi.

For the Belgians, this is their very first participation in the UEFA Champions League, a milestone achieved thanks to last season’s national title, their first in 90 years, and following a strong run in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League, that ended in the round of 32. Their start in the Champions League has been mixed. In the opening match of the group stage, the Belgian side secured an impressive 3-1 victory away at PSV Eindhoven, but in the second round they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle at home.

Only one Belgian team, Royal Antwerp in 2023/24, has lost their first two home games in the competition. Union SG have also lost their last two European home matches without scoring and have never gone three consecutive games without scoring at home in a major European competition. After 10 league rounds, Union Saint-Gilloise top the Belgian Pro League with 26 points, thanks to eight wins and two draws, boasting both the best attack (22 goals scored) and the best defense (6 goals conceded) in the tournament.

The Belgians are likely to play in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Scherpen in goal, Mac Allister, Burgess and Leysen in defense, Khalaili, Zorgane, Van de Perre and Niang in midfield, and El Hadj and David providing support for Rodriguez in attack.

REFEREE

Union SG vs. Inter will be refereded by Glenn Nyberg from Sweden. Referee: Nyberg Assistants: Beigi, Söderkvist Fourth Official: Ladebäck VAR: Cuadra Fernandez Assistant VAR: Iglesias Villanueva

UNION SG vs. INTER, WHERE TO WATCH

Union SG vs. Inter, on Tuesday, October 21 at 21:00 CEST will be live exclusively on Sky and NOW, and streaming on Sky Go and NOW TV.

LIVE UPDATES ON INTER TV

On Inter TV, as always, you’ll find updates and live links in the pre-match build-up, with the latest news ahead of kick-off. Our live match coverage for Union SG vs Inter will start at 19:30 CEST and will also be available on YouTube via the Club’s official channel until 20:15. After the game, in-depth analysis and interviews will follow.