Inter director Beppe Marotta admits hosting Liverpool in the Champions League ‘gets your heart beating faster,’ while he is confident Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic will extend their contracts.
The first leg of this Champions League Round of 16 tie kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
Nicolò Barella is suspended for both legs, so Arturo Vidal steps into the midfield this evening.
“Vidal has a great deal of experience and can show that in matches like this,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia and Amazon Prime Italia.
“He played in the top European clubs and this is a perfect game for him.”
There were many changes over the summer from the side that won the Scudetto under Antonio Conte, including the sale of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.
The club infrastructure has gone from strength to strength and Marotta again confirmed signing a new contract to extend his stay is “just a formality now. We are all happy to continue at this great club.”
There are still negotiations on-going for contract renewals with players Brozovic and Perisic, whose deals expire on June 30.
“We are in the negotiation phase, but they want to stay here and we feel the same way, so when the time comes, we’ll get a deal done. It is a good sign when players whose contracts are running down want to negotiate, as that means they are eager to stay.
“The first objective is to give the club sustainability, without forgetting the sporting aspect too, we need to balance the two elements.”
Despite the changes, Simone Inzaghi has done better than Conte, giving Inter their first Champions League knockout fixture in a decade.
“It’s a strong emotion, as Inter are back here after 10 years, so for the players, directors and fans, we are all well aware this is a great achievement. It’s a game that gets your heart beating faster.
“We are ambitious and that is a virtue, not a failing. We recognise the quality of our opponents, but we are not afraid.”
Marotta a Sky: “Perisic e Brozovic hanno interesse a continuare con noi. Non abbiamo paura del Liverpool” https://t.co/Y3hmjrn0U6
— FcInterNews.it (@FcInterNewsit) February 16, 2022