Samuel Eto'o has been setting the pace for Inter Milan all season and will carry even more responsibility into Wednesday's Champions League match against Tottenham with fellow forward Diego Milito unavailable.
Eto'o has struck 16 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season - more than anyone else in Europe - and Inter has not won, nor even scored, when the Cameroon striker has failed to find the target.
While Eto'o's performance has been commended, European champion Inter has been criticized as too dependent on the former Barcelona forward.
''Last year this team depended on Milito and won three titles,'' manager Rafa Benitez said. ''If we can do the same relying on Eto'o I would be very happy.''
Milito, who scored nearly all of Inter's key goals last season en route to an unprecedented treble, found the net only twice in this campaign before injuring a muscle in his left leg during Argentina's 1-0 loss to Japan in a friendly this month.
Inter and Tottenham share the lead in Group A with four points each. FC Twente and Werder Bremen, which have one point apiece, meet in the other group match.
''We need at least four points form the two matches against Twente and six would be better,'' Bremen's general manager Klaus Allofs said.
Clemens Fritz, Torsten Frings and Claudio Pizarro return after injuries and the comeback of top scorer Pizarro particularly will be welcomed by Bremen's coach Thomas Schaaf.
Like Inter, Tottenham is also missing a key player, with Rafael van der Vaart suspended for his red card in last month's 4-1 victory over FC Twente, robbing Spurs of a player who is rapidly becoming the most influential at the club.
Van der Vaart has scored four times since joining from Real Madrid in August, with Tottenham's first goal in Saturday's 2-1 win over Fulham the most recent he has set up for teammates.
But manager Harry Redknapp was always likely to select a more defensive side than the one that took on Twente at White Hart Lane, so Van der Vaart's absence may be filled by a less attacking midfielder such as Jermain Jenas or Wilson Palacios.
Striker Jermaine Defoe is still on the sidelines after tearing ankle ligaments playing for England six weeks ago, while captain Ledley King limped off in the first half on Saturday because of a groin injury.
Still, Redknapp is confident after Saturday's win - the third time in four matches Tottenham has won despite conceding the first goal.
Benitez knows Redknapp well, having coached Liverpool for the past six seasons.
Tottenham qualified for the Champions League for the first time by finishing fourth in last season's Enfglish Premier League, pushing Benitez's Liverpool side out of the top four for the first time since 2005.
However, Benitez also has two questionable starters in midfielder Esteban Cambiasso and forward Goran Pandev, which could prompt the Inter coach to use two inexperienced players, 18-year-old Coutinho and Jonathan Biabiany, to support Eto'o in attack.
There are some worries about potential fan problems at the San Siro because of Tottenham's Jewish links.
The English club has traditionally drawn support across north London, which includes several areas with a large Jewish population. Recognizing this fan base, the club's Jewish and non-Jewish supporters both give themselves the nickname ''Yids'' but some opposition fans regularly taunt Tottenham fans over the affiliation.
Inter's extreme ''ultra'' fans are generally right-wing and clashed with Ajax supporters before a European match in 2006 when the Dutch club's fans displayed Jewish symbols.
