A two-legged blockbuster tie against the best team on the planet
was always going to stretch Inter Milan to their vigilant best.
Nevertheless, buoyed by a resolute 2-0 win over Juventus in the
Derby D’Italia which put their Serie A title challenge
firmly back on track after an almighty wobble in recent weeks, the
Italian champions will feel now is the time to end their 45-year
wait for a third European crown.
Recollections of previous encounters with Barcelona however do
not bode well. Outplayed in the group stages at the San Siro before
being arraigned 2-0 at the Camp Nou, it is not difficult to see why
the Nerazzurri start the clash as underdogs.
Coach Jose Mourinho will say he cares not, but his lugubrious
expression suggests that it is on his mind.
After a well-deserved 2-0 win over eternal rivals Real Madrid in
El Clasico, Barcelona were brought back down a peg or two
after being held 0-0 by city neighbours Espanyol.
"We will go all out to win the game, as always," midfielder
Sergio Busquets told Spanish daily AS. "This is a decisive
stretch of the season, we are in a semi-final of the Champions
[League] and we will go for it," he added.
In football’s very own version of a twist in the tail, the tie
will be suffused with past connections, as well as former
team-mates in Samuel Eto’o, Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic
returning to their old stomping grounds.
The reappearance of Los Cules’ most detested man after
Luis Figo and Florentino Perez – Jose Mourinho, whose previous
battles with the Spanish champions whilst manager of Chelsea has
not been forgotten in a hurry, will be interesting for the
neutral.
Send the kids to bed early, lock the doors, grab a cold beer and
tune in with zeal for a potential European classic!
Team News:
Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho is set to start with attacking
trio of Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito as the
Nerazzurri attempt to create a buffer zone between
themselves and their hosts in the first-leg.
Only backup goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and full-back Davide
Santon are unavailable for the Italian champions.
Despite making a six-hour round trip to Milan by coach, apart
from defender Gerard Pique, full-back Eric Abidal and midfielder
Andres Iniesta, Barcelona have no injury worries to contend with.
Captain Carles Puyol returns to the first-eleven after being
suspended for the second leg against Arsenal.
Likely Line-ups:
Inter Milan (4-2-1-3): Julio Cesar, Maicon,
Samuel, Chivu, Zanetti; Cambiasso, Stankovic; Sneijder; Pandev,
Milito, Eto'o.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Dani Alves, Milito, Puyol,
Maxwell, Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Messi, Ibrahimovic, Henry.
Prediction:
Inter Milan 2-1 Barcelona
