Simone Inzaghi previewed the first leg against Liverpool: “The English teams are all strong, and the Reds are one of the best. We deserve to be in this match. We had not made it to the Round of 16 in years, and we will try to play our cards.”
“Liverpool are the favorites, but anything can happen. We have to propose our usual ideas with a clear head. The level of determination will make the difference, and we have it in spades. We are coming off an excellent performance against Napoli. Our first half was ordinary, while you need an extra something in this type of fixtures. We managed to stay in the game, and we came out from the locker room with an enormous desire to win. That gives me a lot of confidence. We will not go into this match being defeated beforehand.”
Inzaghi kept the lineup choices against Liverpool close to the vest: “All strikers have the same chances to play Wednesday. We have had very intense contests lately. The one that does not start will come off the bench. I will decide tomorrow, but I am lucky to have mature players that accept my choices. I try to rotate to allow them to recover energies, especially mentally.”
“The first step for us was to qualify to this stage. Now we have to deal with a top club with incredible players and a great coach. We will have to be attentive without the ball, and we can not leave anything to chance in certain situations. We did well in the Derby for 70 minutes, and we produced a strong second half against Napoli. I am not happy with the point output, obviously. The Scudetto race will be decided by small details.”