What can Tottenham expect from Inter Milan?

Tonight, Tottenham return to the ground that brought two of the most memorable nights in their recent history, but there is a rather different feeling going into the game this time around.

Gareth Bale scored a scorching hat-trick against Inter when they were reigning European champions eight years ago this week, then later that season Spurs beat heavyweights AC Milan on their way to the Champions League quarter-finals.

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However, this time around Spurs go to San Siro with far greater clout than they did in 2010, and it is fallen giants Inter that begin their return to Europe's elite competition as the pot four side.

And despite their status as one of the most successful and renowned sides in Italian history, Inter's absence from the Champions League makes them something of an unknown quantity going into this game.

So what can Spurs expect on their return to Italy's most iconic football stadium?

A work in progress

Player turnover at Inter is relentless. Even though they had their best Serie A season in seven years and have the luxury of a manager going into a third season at the club - something they have not had since Roberto Mancini's four-year spell between 2004 and 2008 - there is a distinct lack of continuity in the squad.

Eight players were brought in this summer, while 15 players left on permanent deals. 11 arrived the season before and 25 were sold. One year earlier almost £150 million was spent on 14 players and 14 more left the club.

It is extremely difficult for a team to build on any progress that has been made when player and managerial changes being made so freely, and that has been clear to see so far this season.

Just four players that started their final game of last season were also in the lineup on the opening day of this campaign. Inter have begun their four games this season in three different formations, winning only once and scoring just five goals.

Their 65.9 per cent possession rate is more than any other team in Serie A this season, but 60 per cent of their shots have come from outside the area and just 37 per cent have hit the target, suggesting they are keeping the ball well enough but are struggling to get into dangerous areas.

The fact that neither of their strikers, Mauro Icardi and Keita Balde, have scored this season, and they have had just four shots on target between them, suggests this is very much a work in progress.

This team has bags of potential, but they are not quite reaching it yet.

Possession football

Luciano Spalletti, who has forged a successful career managing in Italy with his meticulous planning and was linked to Arsenal not so long ago, is a flexible tactician who is willing to change formation to suit the players at his disposal, or depending on the course of a match.

There is, however, always a focus on keeping possession and moving the ball quickly into space between the lines when an opportunity arises. At Inter, the aim is to get wingers and prime creators Ivan Perisic and Matteo Politano on the ball and facing goal whenever possible.

Almost all of their play goes through Marcelo Brozovic, the man Spalletti converted from an attacking player into a metronome at the base of midfield with remarkable effect. Brozovic has had 500 touches of the ball in league games so far this season, 111 more than any other player in Serie A.

Spalletti has tended to prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation during his time at Inter, with the full-backs getting forward to provide width - his full-backs rank second and third to Brozovic for touches of the ball at Inter this season - and the wingers narrower, closer to the centre-forward and therefore closer to goal.

Spurs enjoyed their best two Champions League nights last season when hitting Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid on the break, so they may look to do the same against Inter.

Two main threats

Winger Perisic and centre-forward Icardi are Inter's main attacking threats. They have started this season slowly but last term Icardi was Serie A's top scorer, with 29 goals, while Perisic scored 11 and set up nine more. Seven of those assists were for Icardi goals, making them the most effective duo in the league.

The key for Spurs, then, is cutting off not only the supply line to Icardi, but also the passes in to Perisic in deeper positions. If he is given the space to run with the ball he is difficult to stop, and Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier's propensity for a rash challenge could make Inter's left flank a source of success.

Spalletti has attempted to combat the fact that opponents are now better at keeping Icardi under wraps by signing a new striker in the summer in Keita, but he is yet to find his feet, or the net.

For Spurs, stopping the supply line both to and from Perisic will be key to their night.