Liverpool - Inter (19 Feb 08)

[caelestis]

This is the first knock out round in the Champions League.
Inter will smash the snotty English on their home turf!
It will be a very interesting game but I really think that Inter will win, especially if some of the injured players can return to 100% before the match.

edit: some moderator can perhaps change the date to just one out of 19 or 20 when it's released?

[.h.]

I want tickets. Now. Where can I get them? for the away leg

[bennyblanco]

i believe that is a great pairing for us...although my first opinion but im pretty confident of going through to the next round..

[Fabio]

We have to stop being so complacent, we never know even though I do reckon we can win.

[.h.]

I'm..... not hugely confident, I also support liverpool...
Zlatan + Suazo maybe vs Hyppia and Carragher, we should have them easily done on pace there...

Maicon + Maxwell vs Arbeloa / Riise.... Not the best defensive pairing of full backs, but we'll see, again.

Midfield :

Benayoun Sissoko Mascherano Gerrard

can throw in Kewell instead of Benayoun, Pennant/Gerrard, etc.
Not the greatest technically gifted side, if they play both Masch and Sissoko it's also quite defensive minded, both of them have appalling first touches and passing (Sissoko more so) but Mascherano can put in the crunching tackles.... I think with out swat team formation we should be able to retain the midfield possession alot more... Assuming everyone is back..

Torres and Kuyt/Voronin/Crouch/possibly Babel up front, against Samuel/Cordoba/Materazzi...

Torres is their only REAL threat, Babel has been looking good recently, Crouch could be a problem considering our defence.... But I think with our defense in the form they are currently (esp if Marco recovers well), we should be able to 'handle' Torres... though that could come back to haunt me, I guess.

My main worries, really, are if injuries take their toll on us by then again, Rafa being a european knock out GENIUS....

I don't know.... I think man for man we should have them comfortably matched... Torres is a more clinical striker but Zlatan's improved so much in this field recently, and he's got better technique etc to back him up... As we saw against Man Utd, Liverpool have too many 'sub par' players in their team, who might as well not turn up on the pitch....

[.h.]

What I'd like to see during the Jan transfer windows...

To complement us here;

Zanetti Cambiasso Vieira

Stankovic

I'd like to see another quality AMC brought in (though we do have Jimenez, if he gets alot more playing time before liverpool he might be up to standard), and we certainly need another DMC... We can't be thinking about playing anyone obviously not up to scratch, e.g. Cesar, Solari.

[snake]

ive waited years for this match up...finally. bring it.

[KaiokenFlash]

Oh man! im so happy!!!!!
For years we'v been paired with shitty teams...lost to shitty teams...and won to some shitty teams....all not doing good for our recognition.

Now we get a HUGE team in liverpool..and probabally one the most tactical teams in the UCL, with Rafa's amazing european tactics.

This will be no easy game, i can assure you. I watch Liverpool week in week out in the premiership, they are an immense team. They sometimes come up short against the small teams, but against any big team, they can win.

Torres and Gerrard will be very to contain, we need Viera and Cambi for this one.

Either way, it will be an amazing game!!

[Azzkikr]

Best possible draw. I already said i wanted liverpool the most before the draw was made and i stick to that.

I think liverpool suits inter perfectly, not a very fast or technical side, i dont see how they can possible get something out of this game unless they get lucky. We are way to strong defensively for liverpools average offense to do any damage. Basicly they are a far worse version of us. There are no surprising elements at all in their game. With agger most likely injured or not 100% it will be ibra/cruz vs carragher/hyppia , imagine ibra vs hyppia, thats ****ing hilarious.

Gerrard will have to play the games of his life if they are to win this tie.

[.h.]

Oh man! im so happy!!!!!
For years we'v been paired with shitty teams...lost to shitty teams...and won to some shitty teams....all not doing good for our recognition.

Now we get a HUGE team in liverpool..and probabally one the most tactical teams in the UCL, with Rafa's amazing european tactics.

This will be no easy game, i can assure you. I watch Liverpool week in week out in the premiership, they are an immense team. They sometimes come up short against the small teams, but against any big team, they can win.

Torres and Gerrard will be very to contain, we need Viera and Cambi for this one.

Either way, it will be an amazing game!!

But like the united game, for example, they ran out of ideas in the first half and played RUBBISH football in the second.. though admittedly in Europe i think rafa would change things around a bit....
I think Crouch could provide serious problems, but I think we might be okay... Gerrard's form is so hard to read sometimes, I think with Cambiasso there he'll be a bit more subdued.... If Vieira is playing well for us before this game then we haev a lot higher chance, I agree

[.h.]

Question - Is anyone else potentially going to this match?

[Red Square]

Hello Inter fans!!! I just want to say that these two games are going to be great. I think you guys are a very complete team and in my opinion you have the best strike force in Europe. But don't get too carried away, while you guys are great in the league you underachieve in the Champions League bid time. We are the same, but it's the other way around. Don't judge us by our form in the premier league, we are a completely different team in the CH league(2 CH league finals in 3 years). Our coach Rafa Benitez is a master of this tournament and he was a student of the Italian game. Anyway, I wish you guys the best of luck in the Seria A, but we will probably beat you over the two legs.

[.h.]

Liverpool haven't done all that well in the Champion's League this year, though...

I know their last three group matches went very well, I watched them in the Brookhouse pub But aside from those three, the first three matches looked extremely average. Hopefully the European form won't be upset by the premier league form and we'll have a really good match on our hands?

PS, forgot to mention Agger and Alonso above

[AntonTheGreat]

Hello Inter fans!!! I just want to say that these two games are going to be great. I think you guys are a very complete team and in my opinion you have the best strike force in Europe. But don't get too carried away, while you guys are great in the league you underachieve in the Champions League bid time. We are the same, but it's the other way around. Don't judge us by our form in the premier league, we are a completely different team in the CH league(2 CH league finals in 3 years). Our coach Rafa Benitez is a master of this tournament and he was a student of the Italian game. Anyway, I wish you guys the best of luck in the Seria A, but we will probably beat you over the two legs.

This is exactly why i'm kind of scared. I love inter and in the league! i couldn't ask for more. But in the CL they always tend to scare me, especially against a team that succeeds with consistency in it. Now i could have asked for many easier teams, but a win against Liverpool may begin to erase some hard recent memories. Getting past them may turn people eye to start saying "this mite be inters year, unlike the last 2 years (where we got out from 2 much weaker teams)" I'm hoping for two wins, but I'm not as optimistic as i usually aml, since it's not everyday inter plays an elite team, outside of Italy.

[Fabio]

Welcome Red Square, not a bad entrance.

Browha, see you at Anfield..

[.h.]

If I can get tickets :/

[Luka]

Best possible draw. I already said i wanted liverpool the most before the draw was made and i stick to that.

I think liverpool suits inter perfectly, not a very fast or technical side, i dont see how they can possible get something out of this game unless they get lucky. We are way to strong defensively for liverpools average offense to do any damage. Basicly they are a far worse version of us. There are no surprising elements at all in their game. With agger most likely injured or not 100% it will be ibra/cruz vs carragher/hyppia , imagine ibra vs hyppia, thats ****ing hilarious.

Gerrard will have to play the games of his life if they are to win this tie.

I see that if you're not bashing our team, nobody recognise you

And yes Hyppia versus Ibra looks kinda sily, although I know Rafa better than that, and I know he won't leave it like that.

[.h.]

Agger and Carragher most likely at centre back

[.h.]

If liverpool are injury free etc, the likely line up would be:
Reina / Riise Carragher Agger Arbeloa / Kewell (?) Mascherano Gerrard Babel / Torres Kuyt

I think, anyway, it's hard to say for sure with Rafa's rotation :p

[Reßell]

i'm so happy.i hate liverpool