Manchester City still seem to be the team to beat in the Champions League, but Simone Inzaghi’s Inter are also among the most solid sides in Europe and have even improved since last year’s Final, so they have a chance to get revenge on the Premier League Champions this term.
Inter may have finished their Champions League group as runners-up behind Real Sociedad but are dominating in Serie A having a seven-point lead over second-placed Juventus with a game in hand. The Nerazzurri will host Salernitana at the Stadio Meazza on Friday, days before a Champions League Round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid.
The La Liga giants, coached by ex-Inter midfielder Diego Simeone, are one of the trickiest teams in Europe, but Inter are favourite to qualify for the quarter-finals especially considering their impressive record in Serie A.
They have the best attack and the less-beaten defence and the upcoming Serie A game against Salernitana, who have recently appointed Fabio Liverani as their new head coach, is not expected to put too much pressure on Inzaghi’s men.
Although Inter’s priority is to secure their 20th Scudetto and the subsequent ‘second star’, last season’s Champions League Final boosted the Nerazzurri’s self-confidence on European soil even if they eventually lost 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The Premier League giants are still the team to beat in the Champions League, alongside Real Madrid. City comfortably beat Copenhagen 3-1 on Tuesday and are now preparing for a Premier League match against Chelsea this coming Saturday with Man City v Chelsea Tickets are still available.
When Inter met City in the Champions League Final last year, they felt their pressure to “win at all costs”, said Nerazzurri defender Alessandro Bastoni last week. Inter were the underdogs, while the Premier League giants had a second chance to lift the cup with big ears after wasting their first opportunity a few years earlier against Jorginho’s Chelsea.
Now, Inter will always be the underdogs in any game against Manchester City, but what Inzaghi is building at San Siro is something big.
With 19 victories in 23 Serie A matches and a potential ten-point lead over Juventus, Inter are en route to winning their second Scudetto in four years and the 20th in the club’s history. The earlier they put their hands on the big prize, the more chances they’ll have to progress in the Champions League. And while Man City will predictably be involved in the title race in England, alongside Arsenal and Liverpool, the Nerazzurri may solely focus on the European competition.
However, if they want to get their revenge on Man City, they must beat Atletico Madrid first, knowing that Simeone will do anything he can to cause trouble for his ex-club.