Liverpool and Inter Milan will battle it out in a blockbuster UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 first leg tie at the San Siro on Wednesday.
The knockout stages of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League are underway, and on Wednesday night, fans will be treated to a mammoth clash as Premier League giants Liverpool travel to Italy to lock horns with Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Liverpool cruised through the opening phase of the continental competition, winning each of their six games in a difficult Group B that had Atletico Madrid, FC Porto and AC Milan. The Reds were made to work hard in a couple of matches, but showed great grit and determination to power through to the knockouts. Jurgen Klopp’s men go into the game on a six-game winning streak, most recently beating Burnley 1-0 in the Premier League.
Inter Milan finished second in Group D behind Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Nerazzurri had a few nervy moments along the way, with minnows Sheriff Tiraspol threatening to upset the apple cart, but ultimately managed to sail through with three wins and a draw. Simone Inzaghi’s side have failed to win three of their last six games in all competitions (D2 L1) and were held to a 1-1 draw by Napoli in their latest game.
This will be the first time that Liverpool and Inter Milan face each other since 2008, when the Reds triumphed over the Italians in the knockout stages. Ahead of their latest meeting, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
? | BLACK AND BLUE AND RED
? Ahead of #InterLiverpool, here are a few players who turned out for both sides ⚫️??#ForzaInter #UCL @LFC pic.twitter.com/g7lDI3uxlC
— Inter ??? (@Inter_en) February 15, 2022
Inter Milan will have to make do without the services of summer signing Joaquin Correa and January arrival Robin Gosens, who are out with injuries. In addition, key midfielder Nicolo Barella will miss out due to suspension. Simone Inzaghi is unlikely to tinker with his preferred 3-5-2 formation despite some of the results going against his side in recent games.
Captain Samir Handanovic is the undisputed starter between the sticks while Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni form the three-man defensive unit. The trio will have their task cut out against a lively Liverpool front-three. If they get isolated in one-on-one situations with the Reds’ pacy attackers, it could spell trouble for the hosts.
Denzel Dumfries and Ivan Perisic ought to occupy the wing-back slots. While they are usually attack-minded, a more defensive approach could be required on Wednesday, considering that they will be up against the dual threat of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.
Marcelo Brozovic will hold the fort in the middle of the park and look to dictate the tempo of the game for Inter when they are in possession. Hakan Calhanoglu will provide the creative presence from the centre, while the experienced Arturo Vidal could get the nod in Barella’s absence against the Reds.
Edin Dzeko, who has had the rub of the green against Liverpool in his last few meetings, should line up in attack with Argentine hitman Lautaro Martinez set to partner him. Alexis Sanchez and Felipe Caicedo will be options from the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Vidal, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Martinez
Liverpool
Liverpool have no major injury concerns heading into the game, with captain Jordan Henderson recovering from the knock he picked up against Burnley over the weekend. Divock Origi is also fully fit, meaning that Jurgen Klopp has a full-strength squad at his disposal for the trip to Milan.
Arrived and ready for tomorrow's #UCL clash! ?
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 15, 2022
Jurgen Klopp hinted that he might make a few changes to the side that started against Burnley. The German tactician could decide to hand Ibrahima Konate a start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. There is no looking past Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson as the full-backs, while Alisson, who starred against Burnley, will be the obvious pick in goal.
Fabinho, who scored the only goal of the game at the weekend, is a certainty at the base of the midfield. It will be on him to break up attacks and recycle possession effectively. While Henderson has recovered, Klopp could opt to start with Thiago Alcantara in the starting XI against Inter Milan. Naby Keita should hold on to his place in the lineup, with Harvey Elliott being an option from the bench.
Moving forward, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are pretty much guaranteed to feature from kickoff for the visiting side. January signing Luis Diaz could get some minutes from the bench again. Diogo Jota should replace the ineffective Roberto Firmino in the central role in attack.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Jota, Mane
Key Stats
- This will be the fifth meeting between Inter Milan and Liverpool in European competitions. Each of the previous four clashes have been in the knockout stages of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, with Inter Milan prevailing in the semi-finals in 1964/65 while Liverpool eliminated them at the Round of 16 stage in 2007/08.
- Liverpool have won their last two away games against Italian opponents in the Champions League.
- Inter Milan have won their previous two home games in the Champions League.
- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has won 49 of his 87 matches in the Champions League. Should his side come out on top on Wednesday, he would become just the eighth coach to achieve 50 wins in the competition.
- Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko has scored in each of his last three appearances against Liverpool – for Manchester City in 2015 and AS Roma in 2017/18.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah needs to score just five more goals to become the top Champions League goalscorer for an English club.@MoSalah ??? pic.twitter.com/Dw9a53z1Ln
— M.Salah11 (@fcsalah11) February 15, 2022
The prolific forward made his first start for Liverpool this past weekend after the AFCON heartbreak with the Egyptian national team. However, he failed to make much of an impact against Burnley, who managed to keep him quiet for large parts. But if Liverpool are to push past Inter Milan on Wednesday, they will need their superstar at his best.
Salah will be making his 50th Champions League appearance for Liverpool against the Nerazzurri. He has a fine record of 32 goals in 49 games in the competition for the Reds thus far. Expect him to ask some difficult questions of the hosts’ defence.
Prediction
Inter Milan 1-2 Liverpool
Inter Milan have seen their form somewhat dwindle in recent games, having failed to win two of their last three games in all competitions. On the other hand, Liverpool are on a six-game winning streak and have shown the ability to grind out results even when things get tough.
With Diogo Jota set to return to the lineup ahead of Roberto Firmino, they should have more bite in attack than they initially did against Burnley in the last game. The Portuguese, along with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, have enough quality to bother the Inter Milan defence.
The Nerazzurri have won just three of their last 11 home games in the UEFA Champions League, and their record is unlikely to improve on Wednesday. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow win for Jurgen Klopp’s men, which should put them in a strong position to progress to the next round.
INTER 1-1 POOL