Nerazzurri treble icon Wesley Sneijder believes Inter have every chance to eliminate Merseyside giants Liverpool, in what is one of the Champions League first knockout stages’ highlight ties. It has been ten years since the Milan giants appeared in this stage of the tournament, having been knocked out of the group stages for the previous two consecutive continental campaigns.
Sneijder spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport in an exclusive interview, and took the opportunity to draw comparisons between the current Liverpool side and Pep’s Guardiola star-studded Barcelona team of 2010 that Mourinho’s men beat enroute the historic treble.
Esclusiva, Sneijder gioca per noi Inter-Liverpool: "Questa Inter ricorda la mia. E vi spiego come si ferma Salah…" #UCL https://t.co/Chvs8efGSl
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) February 16, 2022
He said: “I talked to my friends at Inter. I feel too much pessimism around. Let’s do this, I’ll tell you: Inter are strong, anything is possible, even eliminating Liverpool. “
When quizzed if this Liverpool side is comparable to Barcelona of the previous decade:
“No, I don’t think so. Their playing style is very different and that Barcelona side had incredible players in every position. I expect an intense game tonight. Inter will need to cope with Liverpool’s intensity. The Reds are more accustomed to these games, while Inzaghi has just begun his path at Inter, but has already left his mark,” he said.
He then drew parallels between this Inter outfit and the one he played in, under Mourinho.
“The 2010 team had a crazy group. It never happened to me again in my career, an unrepeatable unity of purpose. But otherwise, I see many similarities, the parallel works: the great players, the mental certainty due to a Scudetto already won, the enthusiasm . It’s a beautiful team to look at, this one here,” he commented.
Inter face arguably their greatest challenge so far this campaign as they welcome a high-intensity Liverpool side in the first knockout stage of the Champions League.