Inter Milan host Liverpool in the Champions League first leg of the round-of-16 tie at the San Siro. The English side has a 100 percent record in Europe this season and qualified for the knockout phase thanks to impressive results against AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Porto as they cruised through a difficult group.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter may not be as solid as Antonio Conte’s side despite the same 3-5-2 system, but the Nerazzurri are certainly playing more attacking football compared with last season. They have missed an incredible number of chances, particularly against Real Madrid and Shakhtar at the group stage. They can put all that in the past as to look to earn a spot in the next round at the expense of Liverpool.

Here’s everything you need to know about this clash

This is one of two ties in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League round of 16, along with Benfica-Ajax, to bring together two former European Cup winners, although this is only these sides’ fifth competitive
Inter are in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds for the 11th time but the first in ten years having finished runners-up to Real Madrid in Group D, while Liverpool, with a Matchday 6 win at San Siro against AC Milan, became the first English club to win all six games in a UEFA Champions League section as they ended Group B 11 points

Previous meetings

The most recent of the sides’ two ties came at this stage of the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League, Liverpool winning 3-0 on
Late strikes from Dirk Kuyt in the 85th minute and Steven Gerrard at the death earned the home side a 2-0 win at Anfield on February 19, Fernando Torres’ 64th-minute effort for the visitors the only goal of the San Siro return on March 11.
Inter had recovered from a first-leg deficit to progress at Liverpool’s expense in the 1964/65 European Cup semi-finals enroute to retaining the Roger Hunt’s fourth-minute opener at Anfield was cancelled out by Sandro Mazzola six minutes later before Ian Callaghan (34) and Ian St. John (75) gave the home side the win.
The Italian side were level on aggregate ten minutes into the San Siro return through Mario Corso (8) and Joaquín Peiró (9) before Giancinto Facchetti settled the tie on the
Inter went on to beat Benfica 1-0 in the final, also at San Siro, to claim the second of their three European

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Form guide Inter

The Nerazzurri took only one point from their first two Group D games, losing 1-0 at home to Real Madrid on Matchday 1, but two 3-1 wins against Moldova’s Sheriff and a 2-0 victory at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in the penultimate round of matches was enough to secure progress despite a closing 2-0 loss in Madrid.

Despite victories against Sheriff on Matchdays 3 and 4 and Shakhtar on Matchday 5, Inter have still won only six of their last 22 UEFA Champions League matches (D7 L9).
The victories against Sheriff and Shakhtar at San Siro are two of only three Inter successes in their last 11 UEFA Champions League home games (D5 L3), the other a 2-0 defeat of Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 3 in 2019/20. Victory against Sheriff ended a five-game run without a home win (D2 L3).
Inter are the last Italian team to win the UEFA Champions League, in 2010 – their third European Cup triumph, and first in 45
Inter’s record in the round of 16 is W4 L4, with four defeats in their last six
This is Inter’s first game against an English club since the 2018/19 group stage, when they beat Tottenham 2-1 at home before a 1-0 loss in north Christian Eriksen, later of Inter, scored both of Spurs’ goals in those contests.
That made it five successive home wins for Inter against Premier League They have won 11 of their 16 home games against English clubs (D3 L2).
Inter’s last two-legged knockout contests against an English side came in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League round of 16, when they lost on away goals to Tottenham (0-3 a, 4-1 h aet). That made the Nerazzurri’s aggregate record in those ties W6

Liverpool

The Reds are at San Siro for the second successive European game having won 2-1 against Inter’s city rivals AC Milan on Matchday 6 to conclude their perfect Group B Liverpool had opened with a 3-2 win at home to Milan before beating Porto (5-1 a, 2-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (3-2 a, 2-0 h).
Liverpool are one of three teams who won all six group games this season, along with Ajax (Group C) and Bayern München (E). Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95), Spartak Moskva (1995/96), Barcelona (2002/03), Real Madrid (2011/12, 2014/15) and Bayern (2019/20) have all previously recorded six wins from six in a UEFA Champions League group stage, although only Bayern went on to lift the
This season was Liverpool’s 14th UEFA Champions League group appearance; they have only failed to progress to the last 16 or further three
This is Liverpool’s fifth successive campaign in the UEFA Champions League proper, all under Jürgen Klopp; runners-up to Real Madrid in the 2017/18 final, they claimed their sixth European Cup at the expense of Tottenham with a 2-0 victory in the 2018/19
Klopp’s side had finished first in Group D on 13 points, ahead of Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland, before beating Leipzig 2-0 in both legs of their round of 16 tie with both games played in
Liverpool have won nine of their last 12 UEFA Champions League matches away from Anfield

(D1 L2).

Last season’s 5-0 win at Atalanta ended the Reds’ run of three successive defeats in Italy, although they have been beaten in only four of their last 12 away games against Italian clubs, winning
Liverpool’s overall record in two-legged knockout ties against Italian clubs in UEFA competition is W5 L2. They have won the last four, most recently against Roma in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League semi-finals (5-2 h, 2-4 a).
Liverpool have met Italian clubs in four European Cup finals, winning two (against Roma in 1984 and Milan in 2005) and losing two (against Juventus in 1985 and Milan in 2007).

Prediction

Liverpool have been so strong in Europe this season and with their squad back at full-strength, it’s hard to look past them winning this game. Inter Milan 1-2 Liverpool

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