On Wednesday evening, Inter and Bayern Munich will lock horns on matchday one of the 2022/23 Champions League group stages. Both sides come into this match having experienced disappointment in their respective domestic fixtures, but Bayern's record against Italian sides - which has seen them avoid defeat in their last ten ties (W8 D2) - looks to give die Roten the slight edge.
In addition, the Bavarian titans have not lost an opening game in this competition for 18 years, a run dating back to the 2003/04 edition. Moreover, having scored a whopping 27 goals across all comps, Julian Naglesmann's side will be a tough test for the Nerazzurri, who have not been the most solid in defense as of late.
This game could be a notable one for Sadio Mane, who joined Bayern this past summer for an estimated $31.7 million (€32 million). Mane, who was part of Senegal's AFCON winning squad in January, has scored three times for his new side, and will be looking to open his account for die Roten at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Should the 30-year-old find the back of the net, it will take him to 25 Champions League goals, and in doing so, help him to make history. To date, only three African players have scored 25 or more goals in European club football's top tier competition.
They are none other than Didier Drogba (44 goals), Mohamed Salah (36 goals), and Samuel Eto'o (30 goals). The aforementioned trio are Ivorian, Egyptian, and Cameroonian respectively, so Mane would not only become the fourth African player to reach this feat but also will become the first ever Senegalese international to achieve this milestone.
