Inter boss Simone Inzaghi reveals plan to disturb Liverpool, as ‘great motivation’ emphasised
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi has revealed how his team can disturb Liverpool’s rhythm in their Champions League clash.
Liverpool host the Nerazzurri at Anfield on Tuesday night, in the second leg of their last 16 tie. Jurgen Klopp’s side already have one foot in the quarter-finals after winning 2-0 in the first match.
The Reds are also high on confidence after beating West Ham 1-0 at the weekend. That took their winning run to 12 matches in all competitions, including the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea.
However, Inter will put up a stern test on Merseyside. Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez is back in the goals too, after grabbing a hat-trick in the recent 5-0 thrashing of Salernitana.
Ahead of the trip to Liverpool, Inzaghi revealed how the Italian giants can upset Liverpool early on. “The result is affecting us, we played a great game and the result was too penalising for us,” he said (via Football Italia).
“It will be a difficult game tomorrow, but we have great motivation. It is important, I would say essential, to score a goal in the first half, but we know that it will be a very difficult match.
‘The lads are focused’ – Simone Inzaghi
“We prepared the game in three days, the lads are focused. We face the best team in Europe [along] with Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
“It was great to play the first leg in Milan and we are aware that tomorrow it will be even more difficult.
“Inter hadn’t reached this stage of the competition for many years and we knew that we would face a top team having finished second in the group stage. We did our best in the first leg and we’ll do the same tomorrow.”
Following the clash against Inzaghi’s team, Liverpool travel to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday at 12:30.
Klopp reacts to Pep Guardiola praise
Over the weekend, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola called Liverpool the ‘toughest opponents I have ever faced in my 12-13 years as a manager’.
That’s high praise considering the Spaniard has come up against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid and Klopp’s Dortmund in the past.
Responding to Guardiola’s comments, Klopp said in a press conference: “I can give that back! I could say City is the toughest opponent I ever had, but I should not forget I faced him already at Bayern [Munich].
“It was not much easier, just a different situation.
“I know what he means, we pushed each other on insane levels in the last few years. The amount of points both teams collected… okay we couldn’t cope with it last year for obvious reasons.
“But in the other years we were really around and how I said, I don’t think City would get the amount of points they will get this year if he wouldn’t be around.
“And the other way around is pretty much the same. It’s good, but there’s a lot of games so we will see where we end up.”
The German also provided an update on the fitness of three Liverpool players…
READ MORE: ‘I know what he means’ – Klopp responds to Guardiola over Liverpool statement; triple injury update
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