Inter, Bayern meet in only second European tie

ROME, Sep 26 (Reuters) When Inter Milan host Bayern Munich in the Champions League tomorrow it will be their first meeting in European club soccer's top competition.

Remarkably, these two big names of the European game, who meet in Group B at the San Siro in Milan, have only met once before -- over two legs of a UEFA Cup tie in 1988.

The second showdown in Europe, 18 years on, of two sides that have lifted the European Cup six times between them finds both top of their domestic leagues.

Last weekend, while Bayern beat Alemannia Aachen 2-1 to assume their accustomed place at the head of the Bundesliga, Inter held on for a nervy 4-3 win over Chievo Verona to lead Serie A for the first time since February 2003.

Inter's victory provided a couple of positive notes for coach Roberto Mancini: a brace for in-form striker Hernan Crespo and a lively performance by Adriano, who set up the Argentine's second goal.

Some vices, however, also re-emerged, most alarmingly a late lapse in concentration that allowed Chievo to score three times in the final 15 minutes and recalled a similar collapse by Inter earlier this month when they nearly wasted a 3-0 lead in an edgy 3-2 victory against Fiorentina.

''Our final quarter of an hour was straight out of the manual of collective madness,'' said Mancini, who admitted his own substitutions were partly to blame.

''I changed too much and disorientated my players. Most of all I'm sorry for the defence, who deserved to finish the match with a clean sheet.'' MIDFIELD WOES Mancini knows the German champions are unlikely to gift Inter the kind of head-start that saved them from floundering against Chievo.

Inter are also under intense pressure to beat Bayern after losing their Group B opener 1-0 against Sporting in Lisbon.

''We need three points, and we can't afford to let our concentration slip again,'' Mancini said, before outlining his team's problems in midfield, where they will be without the injured Esteban Cambiasso and Patrick Vieira, who was sent off during the defeat in Portugal.

''(Olivier) Dacourt took a bit of a knock against Chievo, but we've got very few options in midfield for Wednesday's game, so he'll just have to grit his teeth.'' Bayern also have a problem in midfield, having lost Owen Hargreaves to a broken leg.

The England midfielder was the outstanding player in their 4-0 win over Spartak Moscow two weeks ago and was growing nicely into the position vacated by Michael Ballack.

The good news for Bayern is that Mark van Bommel maintained his promising form in a slightly more forward midfield role, scoring his second goal in two league games with the winner against Aachen.

REUTERS PDS VC0952