A fuel injector (100) for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel injector is particularly suitable for use as a dual fuel injector, and comprises a generally tubular outer valve needle (130), an inner valve needle (140) slidably received in the outer valve needle (130), and a nozzle body assembly (112) comprising a tip part (120) and a needle guide part (118). The tip part (120) defines a seating region (120f) for the outer valve needle (130), and the needle guide part (118) comprises a guide bore (118e) for slidably receiving the outer valve needle (130). In one embodiment, the tip part (120) and the needle guide part (118) are made from different materials, and a biasing spring (148) for the outer valve needle (130) is housed in the nozzle body assembly (112).

An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder case that includes a first geartrain disposed on a front end of the cylinder case and a second geartrain disposed on a rear end of the cylinder case. The first geartrain drives a first camshaft, and the second geartrain drives a second camshaft, the first and second camshafts having respective rotational axes that are parallel.

A valve assembly includes a valve body, a valve needle and a first guiding element that axially guides the valve needle. The first guiding element is bottle shaped and is axially deformable at least in part. The first guiding element is fixedly coupled to the valve needle in a bottle neck section of the first guiding element, and coupled to the wall of the valve body in an axial end section of the first guiding element remote from the bottle neck section. Based on these features of the first guiding element, an axial displacement of the valve needle away from the closing position results in a widening of an outer shape of the first guiding element at least in a fixation section to press it against the wall of the valve body.