UCL Round 16: Inter Milan v Liverpool Preview
An eagerly-anticipated Champions League contest will take place at San Siro on Wednesday night, when Italian champions Inter Milan play host to six-time European champions Liverpool for the first leg of their last-16 tie.
The Reds were one of three teams in this year’s competition who completed the group stage with a 100% record, while the Nerazzurri finished second behind Real Madrid.
Match preview
For the first time in a decade, Inter Milan will be participating in the knockout round of the Champions League, and they come up against a Liverpool side that have been rampant in front of goal.
As mentioned earlier, Simone Inzaghi’s side finished second in Group D with 10 points from their six matches. The Nerazzurri won home and away against Sheriff Tiraspol and secured four points from their two encounters with Shakhtar Donetsk and lost two games to Real Madrid.
Inter head into Wednesday’s contest after failing to win their last two Serie A matches, losing 2-1 to city rivals AC Milan and drawing 1-1 with Napoli last weekend which has seen them drop to second position but with a game in hand.
The Nerazzurri will be keen to bounce back with a positive result in midweek, though grinding out results against English clubs in Europe has proven challenging over the years.
Since the 2003-04 campaign, Inter have been eliminated from two of their previous three two-legged knockout ties against English opposition; all three of these have been in the last 16, suffering defeat against Liverpool in 2007-08 and Manchester United in 2008-09, before losing out to Chelsea in 2009-10.
Inter will face another tough challenge on Wednesday but their home form should provide them with confidence, as they have lost only three of their 30 competitive matches at San Siro across all competitions since the beginning of 2021.
Liverpool on the hand, extended their winning run across all competitions to six matches with a slender 1-0 success in the Premier League away at Burnley last weekend.
Fabinho’s close-range strike on the stroke of half time helped Jurgen Klopp’s men move back to within nine points of league leaders Manchester City, and the Reds have a game in hand.
Liverpool now turn their attention to the Champions League and they will be hoping to improve on their last two knockout performances in the competition. Since clinching their sixth European crown in 2018-19, the Reds have been eliminated in the last 16 against Atletico Madrid in 2019-20, before losing out in the quarter-finals to Real Madrid last season.
This campaign, Klopp’s side scored 17 goals, winning all six of their Group B matches, including both encounters with Inter’s rivals AC Milan. Liverpool could become just the second team after Tottenham Hotspur in 2010-11 to win against both Inter and AC Milan in the same season, if they were to prevail on Wednesday or in next month’s second leg.
Read: EPL: Manchester United return to winning ways as Ronaldo breaks 2022 goal drought
Liverpool’s midweek clash will be their fifth against Inter in European competition; the Reds suffered a 4-3 aggregate defeat in the semi-finals of the 1964-65 European Cup – the same season Inter went on to win the trophy – before getting their revenge 43 years later in the last 16 of the 2007-08 Champions League, winning 3-0 on aggregate thanks to strikes from Dirk Kuyt, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
Team News
Inter Milan will be without Joaquin Correa and Robin Gosens, as they continue to recover from thigh injuries, while Nicolo Barella is suspended following his dismissal against Real Madrid in their final group game.
In addition, Aleksandar Kolarov is ineligible to play after being removed from their Champions League squad, allowing January signings Gosens and Felipe Caicedo to be included. Stefano Sensi is the other player removed after joining Sampdoria on loan last month.
Centre-back Alessandro Bastoni is currently serving a domestic suspension, but the Italian is available to play in midweek and he is expected to replace Federico Dimarco on the left side of a back three, starting alongside Stefan De Vrij and Milan Skriniar.
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, who has scored in each of his last three appearances against Liverpool, is set to lead the line in attack alongside Lautaro Martinez, with Alexis Sanchez an option from the bench.
Arturo Vidal, who has started only five games this season, is expected to replace Barella in centre-midfield, joining Marcelo Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu in the middle of the pitch.
As for Liverpool, Klopp may decide to make one or two changes to freshen up his starting lineup after last weekend’s win at Turf Moor, with the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and James Milner all fighting for a place in centre-midfield alongside Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
Diogo Jota should be in contention to start despite beginning on the bench against Burnley after picking up a dead leg in the build-up.
The Portugal international could therefore replace Roberto Firmino in the first XI, joining Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in a formidable front three, with January signing Luis Diaz set to begin on the substitutes’ bench.
A back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson is set to remain intact, shielding goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Vidal, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Martinez, Dzeko
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane
What the coaches say
Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach: “I think Liverpool are the favourites, but matches have to be played. We need to impose our style. I want my players to play with a free mind, it could make a difference in this match. The lads are determined to win.”
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: “[Inter are] a top-class team with a top-class manager. Probably the best team again in Italy this season. Very good organisation, very well drilled, creativity on the pitch and good individuals. We need to give a top-class performance to even have a chance.”
Prediction
Inter Milan 1-3 Liverpool
