Football News: Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi believes his team is travelling to Anfield with the goal of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, despite the fact that the odds are stacked against them against Liverpool. Inter lost 2-0 to Liverpool at the San Siro last month after matching Jurgen Klopp’s side for three-quarters of the game but failing to get past Virgil van Dijk’s outstanding backline. After the loss, Inzaghi faces the onerous challenge of trying to become only the second team in history to come back from a two-goal deficit in a knockout tie, against a Liverpool side that has won its last 12 games and hasn’t lost at home in over a year.
“We were punished too harshly in the first match… now we have a game against one of the best teams in Europe but we’re going there in good spirits, motivated and with the aim of making it a contest,” Inzaghi told reporters.
“Finding a goal in the first half is essential really. It’s going to be a difficult match but we’ve had three days to prepare and the boys are focused. We know what we’re about to face, together with Bayern Munich and Manchester City they are in my view the best team in Europe.”
Inter’s loss to Liverpool was their first knockout encounter in a decade, and Inzaghi believes the three-time European champions must familiarise themselves with continental football’s greatest levels.
They are in a three-way Serie A title chase and will be bolstered by Friday’s 5-0 thrashing of Salernitana, which ended a four-match scoring drought, as well as the availability of a quality team that is missing just Nicolo Barella, who is suspended.
The failure of Serie A’s top-scoring squad to break down Liverpool’s defence stood out as an example of the disparity between Italy’s best and the European elite.
“It’s been a long time since we were in the last 16. We were good in the group and we deserved to go through,” added Inzaghi.
“The draw didn’t go our way but regardless we knew before that we were going to face a really good team. Growth is a gradual process, we faced the first leg in the best way possible and we’ll do the same tomorrow.”
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