Inter v Liverpool – all you need to know

Simone Inzaghi’s side discovered their fate in the (second) Champions League draw for the last 16 after a procedural mistake led to UEFA voiding the first one. Having initially drawn Ajax, a two-legged tie with Liverpool now stands in the way of the Nerazzurri and a place in the quarter-finals.

The first leg will take place at 21:00 CET at San Siro on Wednesday 16 February, with the return leg at the same time on Tuesday 8 March at Anfield.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS BETWEEN INTER AND LIVERPOOL: THAT LEGENDARY COMEBACK

Inter and Liverpool have met on four previous occasions, in a pair of two-legged ties in Europe’s elite club competition. The Reds have racked up three wins, while the Nerazzurri have one historic victory to their name.

The first meeting was in the 1964/65 European Cup. The first leg was at Anfield, where the hosts registered a 3-1 victory thanks to goals by Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Ian St John, while Sandro Mazzola temporarily equalised for the Nerazzurri in the first half. The return game is remembered for a legendary Inter comeback at San Siro in which early goals by Mario Corso and Joaquin Peiro drew the Nerazzurri level on aggregate within the opening ten minutes before Giacinto Facchetti nearly ripped through the net with a thunderous strike on the hour mark. The match is also remembered for Peiro’s goal when he snuck up behind goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence to nick the ball away from him as he bounced it down before sticking it into the unguarded net. Helenio Herrera’s side followed up on the 1964 European Cup success by replicating the feat in the 1965 final against Benfica (1-0, Jair).

The other meeting was in the last 16 in 2007/08 just after the club’s centenary celebrations. Liverpool won the first leg 2-0 at Anfield, eventually breaking down the Inter rearguard in the closing stages thanks to Dirk Kuyt (86) and Steven Gerrard (90+1). The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 30th minute when Marco Materazzi was sent off for a questionable second bookable offence. Ivan Cordoba had to be withdrawn with an injury late on, allowing the Reds to surge into a pivotal 2-0 lead. The atmosphere was electric in the return leg at San Siro and the chances came and went for the hosts before Fernando Torres popped up with a brilliant goal to seal Liverpool’s place in the quarter-finals.

KLOPP: "A TOUGH DRAW, IT’LL BE EXCITING"

This was Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp’s reaction to the draw: “I had to wait 54 years to play at San Siro for the first time… and now it’ll be twice in three months, so that’s good news! All good. Of course, it is a tough draw, definitely. They are the league leaders in Italy; a good team in good form. We will see how things go until we meet in February.

“Obviously [Alexis] Sanchez and [Edin] Dzeko we know well – and Lautaro Martinez is one of the most exciting strikers in the world, probably. It’s never easy, but still possible, so let’s give it a go. It’s a proper Champions League tie and I am absolutely looking forward to it.”

Klopp also gave his view on the decision to void and redo the draw. “I saw it live and I thought, ‘You cannot let it stand like this, there’s no chance.’ Definitely, they had to do it again.”

LIVERPOOL'S SEASON

Liverpool need no introduction. After a 2020/21 season in which the squad was ravaged by injuries, Klopp’s side seem to be back to their best and performing at a high level, having breezed through Champions League Group B, racking up 18 points to finish above Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan. They scored 17 goals in their six wins, conceding just six, while Mo Salah helped himself to seven goals in the group stage.

The Reds are currently second in the Premier League, just a solitary point behind leaders Manchester City. Salah has scored 14 league goals so far, receiving plaudits aplenty for his consistent match-winning displays.