Inter v Manchester City: Monza Hosts a Champions League Test Tonight
Inter host Manchester City in the Women's Champions League tonight, with kick-off at 8pm at the U-Power Stadium in Monza, according to the Guardian's live coverage.
City come into the game with a difficult start to the competition. They have drawn their first three matches and sit ninth in the 18-team league phase, the group stage where every team plays a set number of games and the table decides who goes where next. Only the top four go straight through to the quarter-finals. Teams finishing from fifth to 12th enter a two-legged playoff round to earn a place among the last eight. A win tonight would lift City up the table and keep their hopes of a top-four finish alive.
Inter are a club on the rise. They finished second in Serie A, Italy's top women's league, last season, and they are coached by David Sassarini. Inter have not conceded a goal in domestic football so far this season. Their most recent Champions League match was a different story, though. They lost 6-0 away to OL Lyonnes, a result that shows how quickly a strong side can be exposed at this level.
Inter also have a memorable result from earlier in the campaign. In September, during qualifying, they knocked out Wolfsburg, a club that has won the Champions League twice. Reaching the league phase at Wolfsburg's expense gave Inter a place among Europe's best teams, and tonight is a chance to show they belong there.
City's own pedigree is not in doubt. Right-back Alex Greenwood was included in the FIFPRO women's world XI for 2026, the team of the year picked by the global players' union, and Kerstin Casparij was ranked 24th in the Ballon d'Or women's ranking, placing her among the highest-rated defenders in the world. City have shown in past seasons that they can win away from home in Europe. Whether they can do it in Monza against a team with nothing to lose at home will be the question on the night.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Guardian's live blog reported goalless half-time scores in two other ties: Häcken 0-0 Chelsea, and Real Madrid 0-0 Paris FC.
Whatever happens in Monza, the table will move. For Inter, a result tonight could decide whether they stay in the hunt for a top-four spot. For City, every point now matters.
