Inter Milan verses Bayern Munich - UEFA Champions League
Last year’s UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are set to clash again in the first leg of the knockout stages this season. The match will kick off at 20:45 CET at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.
The match is expected to be a tough fight and relying on history will not help Inter Milan as they lack the ‘Jose Mourinho factor’ which they had last year. Mourinho had ensured that his team wins the European crown. However, this year, Inter Milan is without
the ‘special one’. That was Mourinho’s last game with Inter after which former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez took over as Inter’s manager. Milan will also miss ace striker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-Milito-c11166, who scored twice in the last May’s final against the German giants.
Milito is out due to a thigh problem, a great relief for the visitors.
Both the teams clashing tonight are third on their respective league tables. Inter Milan had a poor season as Rafael Benitez could not carry on Jose Mourinho’s legacy. He was replaced by former Brazilian player Leonardo Arujo, who is also a former AC Milan
player and has played many games against Inter Milan in his playing career.
Talking about the match, the manager said the league (Serie A) and the Champions League are entirely different. Their poor run in the league cannot be matched with the performance in the Champions League. He believes his team certainly had problems in the
past, but now, the only way was to move ahead. Leonardo said he was expecting an attacking game tonight.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal will come to the game with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth. He said it would be crazy to compare last year’s final with the Round of 16. He said the teams had changed as some new players had
been included and a few others had left, but “the bottom line is that we want to win”.
He said the team needed to move ahead with the competition instead of talking about last year’s final. He said his team would be looking to gain an away goal advantage. Bayern Munich will also miss their prime striker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ivica-Olic-c17399. Olic is a long-term absentee
after he got knee surgery. There was an injury scare for goalkeeper http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thomas-Kraft-c34971, but he got the green signal for the important clash.
Bayern Munich’s Lanky German striker Mario Gomez is geared up for the clash. He approached the hype sensibly and said, “It’s not a revenge mission.” He further said, “It's not the Champions League trophy at stake; it’s about reaching the next round. This
is a different team, and we're in a different situation.” The striker’s ability to win aerial challenges can be a problem for the opposition.
For the home team, the prolific goal scorer Samuel Eto’o will lead Inter Milan’s attack. With his pace and ability to score, he certainly will test the Bayern’s defence line. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Goran-Pandev-c15161 will be his supporting striker and both the players will be relying
on the brilliance of Dutch midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wesley-Sneijder-c36799. The creative Sneijder is the power house of Inter Milan and will be pivotal in the midfield for the home team.
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