Champions LeagueThe lowdown on Internazionale
After Liverpool were drawn to face Internazionale in the Champions League last 16, here we take a closer look at what Jürgen Klopp’s side can expect when the teams meet on February 16 and March 8 next year.
How they qualified…
Inter finished runners-up behind Real Madrid in an exciting Group D to progress to the knockout rounds at the expense of Sheriff and Shakhtar Donetsk.
This despite the Serie A outfit neither winning nor scoring in either of their opening two fixtures in the section, a 1-0 defeat at home to Real on matchday one followed by a goalless stalemate on the road at Shakhtar.
But back-to-back 3-1 victories over Sheriff put Inter in a strong position to achieve qualification, which they duly did in their fifth game: a third win in a row as Shakhtar were beaten 2-0 at San Siro.
Top spot was still a possibility on the final matchday of Group D, but a 2-0 loss against Real at the Santiago Bernabeu meant Inter had to settle for a second-placed finish.
European Cup pedigree…
I Nerazzurri have lifted Old Big Ears on three different occasions.
Their first triumph came in 1963-64 after they beat Real 3-1 in the Vienna final and they went on to successfully defend the trophy the following year, seeing off Benfica 1-0 in their home city.
Inter’s third and most recent victory in the competition came a dozen seasons ago, with Diego Milito’s double downing German giants Bayern Munich in the 2010 final in Madrid.
Previous meetings…
Liverpool and Inter have met surprisingly few times – four in total, encompassing two European Cup knockout ties.
The first was in a controversial 1964-65 semi-final, when Bill Shankly’s side chalked up a dominant 3-1 win in the first leg at Anfield.
However, in a return clash during which multiple refereeing decisions were questioned by the visitors, the Italians achieved a turnaround on aggregate with a 3-0 result to advance to a final that they would also win.
The Reds enjoyed revenge in the next meeting between the two sides, more than four decades later, at the Champions League last-16 stage of 2007-08.
Rafael Benitez’s team remained perfect over the two legs, conceding no goals as they won the first fixture 2-0 at Anfield and topped off the tie with a 1-0 victory at San Siro in the return match.
The manager…
Simone Inzaghi never managed to win the Champions League as a player, in which he spent his best days with SS Lazio, but did get his hands on one Serie A title and the Coppa Italia on three occasions.
He then went on to manage the club for five years, a spell that included one more Coppa Italia success and two wins in the country’s Super Cup.
After 22 years with Lazio as a player and manager, Inzaghi replaced Antonio Conte as Inter boss ahead of the current season.
One to watch…
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko was Inter’s primary provider of goals during the group phase, weighing in with three from six appearances.
Now 35, Dzeko has also helped himself to eight strikes from 17 Serie A outings so far in 2021-22, following his transfer to I Nerazzurri from AS Roma in August.
Domestic form…
Champions of Italy last season, Inter are again setting the pace as the current Serie A campaign nears its halfway point, claiming a 5-0 victory at Salernitana on Friday night.
Inzaghi’s men have lost just one of their 18 fixtures in the division so far and are in comparably prolific form to Liverpool in the Premier League with 48 goals in total.
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