Inter head to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the return leg of their mouth-watering Champions League last-16 tie with a mammoth task on their hands. After succumbing to a 2-0 first-leg defeat at Giuseppe Meazza, the reigning Serie A champions will need nothing short of a miracle to turn this tie on its head.
Two late strikes from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah handed Liverpool a pivotal victory in an evenly-contested fixture at Meazza. Indeed, the Reds are enjoying a purple patch, having gone unbeaten in their last 15 outings across all competitions (W13, D2), including 12 wins in a row if considering extra-time.
Meanwhile, Inter put Serie A basement boys Salernitana to the sword on Friday, cruising to an overwhelming 5-0 win to snap a run of five competitive games without winning (D3, L2). But before putting five unanswered goals past the Granata, the Nerazzurri had drawn a blank in four successive matches, casting doubt on their comeback hopes here.
Liverpool vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head
Liverpool and Inter had only met twice in European knock-out ties before, with each side progressing once apiece. But the Reds negotiated the most recent such engagement without breaking a sweat, as they sailed past the Italians 3-0 on aggregate in their 2007/08 Champions League last-16 tie.
Goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard sealed Inter’s fate at Anfield the last time these sides met in Merseyside. Therefore, the Nerazzurri will have revenge on their minds, as they hope to pull this Herculean task off and advance to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010/11.
Liverpool Form Guide
Liverpool found their Champions League Group B campaign a stroll, finishing top of the section with all six wins, including a brace of victories over Inter’s bitter rivals Milan. The Reds’ first-leg success at Meazza saw them become the second side in the Champions League history to beat both Milan clubs in a single season.
In addition to becoming the first-ever Premier League side to have won all six Champions League group matches, Liverpool have joined a distinguished group of three clubs to make it seven from seven with a first-leg win in Italy. Jurgen Klopp could become only the eighth manager in the Champions League history to hit a 50-win milestone with another win here.
Even though Liverpool’s overall home record against Italian visitors is a bit indifferent (W9, D1, L5), the Reds have been nothing short of outstanding at Anfield of late. They have won all but two of their last eight Champions League home games (W6, D1, L1), while they have yet to lose a single competitive home fixture this season (W18, D5).
Inter Form Guide
Inter’s 413-minute goal drought came to a halt on Friday, but they are still underdogs to turn things around in this tie. It had taken the Nerazzurri three consecutive failed attempts to make it out of the Champions League group phase before finally breaking the curse this season, finishing runners-up to Real Madrid in Group D.
Inter, who are also the last Serie A side to have won the Champions League crown back in 2009/10, lament a 50% win ratio in the competition’s round of 16 (W4, L4). It is also worth noting that they have suffered four defeats in their last six such ties.
Tuesday’s trip to Anfield could stir some unpleasant memories, with Inter losing six of their last seven visits to English clubs (W1), including four in a row. Yet, their overall record against English teams in European two-legged knock-out contests reads W6, L5. After drawing each of their last four competitive away matches, Simone Inzaghi’s men look likely to make that record even.
Liverpool vs Inter Predicted Lineups
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane.
Inter (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Mmilan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Arturo Vidal, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Robin Gosens; Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.