Lille Vs. Inter Milan, 2011 UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 Preview: Eden Hazard, Wesley Sneijder Return For Battle Of Creative Midfielders

Group B of the UEFA Champions League was dubbed as one of the toughest in the competition before it started, though slightly less daunting than the 'Group Of Death', Group A. Other than one team, Trabzonspor, the other teams in the group were hard to separate. Fast forward to October and Trabzon tops the group, with Lille and Inter Milan trailing behind.

The teams sitting in second and third in the group meet to settle their differences on Tuesday evening. Inter have a victory over CSKA Moscow and a loss to Trabzonspor, while Lille drew both of their first two matches. Both teams played weakened sides on the weekend for a variety of reasons, including injuries, suspensions and rest, but both teams will be very close to full strength on Tuesday.

All of Wesley Sneijder, Christian Chivu, Julio Cesar and John Obi missed out on the loss to Catania, and they are all expected to return to the starting lineup. Unfortunately, they did suffer one key loss to the squad over the weekend, as Walter Samuel picked up an injury. He will most likely be replaced by Ivan Cordoba.

Lille are still going to be without star striker Moussa Sow in the starting lineup, but he is expected to be fit enough to make the bench. This means that Ludovic Obraniak will most likely start another match up top. He'll be flanked by playmaking wide-men Joe Cole and Eden Hazard, neither of whom started the 3-1 win over Auxerre, but made major impacts as substitutes off the bench.

Expect a cluttered midfield in this one, as neither team will be playing with any 'true wingers'. Lille play an attacking 4-3-3 and both Cole and Hazard are capable of making things happen out wide, but both tend to cut inside quite a bit. Their midfield three is talented and can adapt themselves towards any kind of matchup. Inter, meanwhile, will likely play a 4-3-1-2 with Wesley Sneijder roaming around in front of a midfield three of Obi, Esteban Cambiasso, and Javier Zanetti.

Lille Vs. Inter Milan

Date: Tuesday, October 18

Time: 2:45 pm ET, 7:45 pm BST, 8:45 pm local

Venue: Stade Lille-Métropole, Lille, France

TV: FOX Sports Net (USA - Check Local Listings), DirecTV Soccer (USA)

Online: FOXSoccer.tv

LOSC Lille Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Landreau; Beria, Rosehnal, Basa, Debuchy; Mavuva, Balmont, Pedretti; Cole, Hazard, Obraniak

Inter Milan Projected Lineup (4-3-1-2): Julio Cesar; Chivu, Lucio, Cordoba, Maicon; Obi, Cambiasso, Zanetti; Sneijder; Forlan, Pazzini

For more on the rest of the UEFA Champions League action and football from all around the world, check out SB Nation Soccer.