Liverpool sizing up Inter before Champions League clash at San Siro
Liverpool will face fellow European giants, Inter Milan in the round of 16. Let’s take a look at Inter Milan’s squad and their form.
Inter have done really well this season, given the circumstances surrounding them in the beginning of the season. Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi all left, leaving a sizeable hole in Inter’s squad.
However, Inter Milan recruited Simone Inzaghi, Edin Džeko, and Denzel Dumfries respectively, to fill those gaps. Additionally, Inter Milan also recruited Hakan Çalhanoğlu on a free transfer, to further bolster their options. They managed to hold on to Lautaro Martinez as well.
Inter Milan now sit at the top of the Serie A table. Inzaghi’s men have looked fluent in attack, without giving away too much in the defence. Thus, Liverpool needs to be wary of their foes.
Liverpool, Inter team news
Injuries & Suspensions-Liverpool
Divock Origi is injured and might miss the clash against Inter Milan. Apart from him, Liverpool have no injury or suspension concerns going into the game. In fact, this might be Liverpool’s strongest squad during Klopp’s reign.
Injuries & Suspensions-Inter Milan
Joaquin Correa and Robin Gosens are injured and won’t feature in the round of 16 clash at San Siro. The other absentee in Nicolo Barella, who was shown a straight red card against Real Madrid. Consequently, Barella also won’t feature in the second leg at Anfield.
Inter Milan Key Players
Lautaro Martinez remains the prime goal threat for Inter; the Argentinian has scored 11 times and assisted once in 17 appearances. However, he is ably supported by Edin Dzeko and Ivan Perisic. In fact, some would even argue that Dzeko has been an even more important outlet for Inter, in recent weeks. Dzeko has 10 goals and 3 assists in 22 appearances while Perisic has 5 goals and 1 assist in as many appearances.
In the midfield, Hakan Çalhanoğlu has been amazing this season. He has racked up 6 goals and 8 assists in 20 appearances with an average rating of 7.36. Marcelo Brozovic has been a key player as well. The Croatian has an average rating of 7.09.
Inter’s defence has been marshalled ably by Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar.
(Stats via WhoScored)
Verdict
In spite of Liverpool’s strength in all areas of the pitch. The Reds need to be observant of Inter Milan, as they can cause trouble by launching long balls behind Liverpool’s defence. However, the Reds are still the heavy favourites in this game.
