Liverpool are in urgent need of a spark to revive their faltering 2025/26 campaign—but a Champions League trip to a red-hot Inter Milan on Tuesday night is hardly the ideal setting.

Inter arrive in formidable form, losing only three of their last 17 matches in all competitions and sitting among four clubs on 12 points in the Champions League standings—just three behind leaders Arsenal.

A fortress at San Siro

The Nerazzurri are currently enjoying the longest active unbeaten home run in the competition—18 matches without defeat (W15, D3), a stretch that includes last season’s dramatic semi-final triumph over Barcelona. Victory over Liverpool would strengthen their push for a top-eight finish.

Liverpool’s situation could not be more different. The Reds sit 13th in the league phase, three points behind Inter, meaning that a win at the San Siro would pull them level. But the performances have been troubling.

Their last Champions League outing ended in a humbling 4-1 loss to PSV at Anfield, and a pair of Premier League draws against Sunderland and Leeds United underline the current lack of confidence.

Salah dropped amid off-field turmoil

Arne Slot’s trip to Italy also comes with fresh drama. Mohamed Salah—who publicly lashed out after being benched again at Leeds—has been left out of the squad entirely. With only five goals to his name this season, the Egyptian’s future at the club looks increasingly uncertain.

Injuries compound Liverpool’s problems: Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong are all sidelined.

Martínez chasing more history

By contrast, Inter’s attacking talisman Lautaro Martínez has been at his ruthless best—scoring in every Champions League home game in 2025. He leads his team in goals, total shots (17), and attempts on target (nine).

Should he find the net on Tuesday, he would become only the second player in Inter’s history—after Andriy Shevchenko—to score in six successive UCL home matches. And with Liverpool’s defence shaky, few would bet against him.

Martínez also settled the last knockout tie between the clubs, netting the only goal of the night at Anfield in March 2022.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu remains another key threat. The 31-year-old has created more chances than any other Inter player (eight), dictating play with space-finding intelligence and precision passing.

With just three goals conceded in the competition, Inter hold the second-best defensive record behind Arsenal—presenting a daunting barrier for a Liverpool side who have scored just twice from their last 44 UCL shots.

History gives Liverpool a glimmer

There is at least one reason for optimism: Liverpool have won four of the six previous meetings between the clubs. Only one of those clashes saw both sides score—the 3-1 first-leg win for Liverpool back in 1965.

The last two Liverpool visits to San Siro (2008 and 2022) both ended in victory, proof that the occasion and atmosphere do not intimidate them.

Florian Wirtz has not yet exploded in Liverpool colours, but his 16 chances created in this season’s Champions League is the best return of any Reds player and could make him decisive on the biggest stage.

Szoboszlai the difference-maker

Hugo Ekitike is expected to lead the line alongside Alexander Isak, although neither currently features among the club’s top scorers in Europe. That honour instead belongs to Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai (two goals each), a statistic that neatly summarises Liverpool’s biggest issue—firepower.

Szoboszlai also leads the way in assists (three) and shots on target (eight). Stop him, and Inter remove Liverpool’s biggest attacking outlet.

Ekitike has registered the most total shots (15), but accuracy continues to elude him—although he showed earlier in the competition against former club Eintracht Frankfurt that he needs little invitation to pull the trigger.

Stakes sky-high

With only two matches remaining after this one, defeat could be a major setback for either club. And while the form guide leans heavily in Inter’s favour, history suggests Liverpool rarely read the script.

One moment, one spark—perhaps that is all it takes to flip this tie on its head.