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Liverpool is preparing for another Champions League run. They went out in a somewhat underwhelming fashion last season against Real Madrid, but have been on another level this year. After a strong group stage performance, they won 2-0 at San Siro against Inter Milan, Italian champions.
As the second leg between these two European powers approaches, let's look at two bold predictions for Liverpool's Champions League clash vs. Inter Milan on March 8th.
Liverpool v Inter Milan predictions
The game will be decided by the midfield battle
The first game was very difficult for Liverpool despite a winning result. They were dominated for much of the first half. If there was no Fabinho controlling one part of the midfield, they would have had much more trouble. The highlight of the entire first half was a Hakan Calhanoglu chance for Inter when the Turkish player hit the crossbar.
Two second-half defensive blunders from Inter keyed Liverpool's victory. However, the real foundation of the win for Liverpool was winning the midfield battle after intermission.
It should be much of the same in the second leg for Liverpool. Not much is known about how their lineup will look for this crucial second leg, but it seems like it will be Fabinho in the midfield joined by Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita. They will be coming up against a fantastic Inter Milan midfield that has Nicolo Barella coming back. Barella was infamously given a red card in a group stage match versus Real Madrid and had to miss two games. Now, he will be back and joining Marcelo Brozovic and the aforementioned Calhanoglu.
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Many people who do not follow Inter Milan and the Italian league generally do not know how strong this midfield is generally. Calhanoglu is an excellent creative midfielder with a knack for scoring amazing goals. Barella played 14 out of 16 games for Italy at EURO 2020, which his team won. Brozovic, on the other hand, is the insurer in the middle, and while he does not look very strong, he is a great defensive-minded midfielder. If Liverpool wants to win this game and advance, they have to do it through the midfield.
Salah will shine on the continental stage once again
Liverpool has likely the best player on the planet right now. Mohamed Salah has scored 27 goals in his last 33 appearances, a sensational run of production. Champions League games, especially in the knockout stage, do not generally have a ton of goals, so Salah's seeming ability to score almost at will looms especially large.
Liverpool held Inter scoreless in the first leg, but if they were to concede a goal in the first couple of minutes of Tuesday's game, there might be a scare. Should Liverpool be worried? Well, not so much. The only reason for the lack of worry, even if they were to concede a goal early, is the singular presence of Salah.
The most amazing thing about the Egyptian winger is that he can score from all over the pitch against all forms of defenses. If a team played possession football, Salah and Liverpool would counterattack until the end of the game, and Salah's record, this season especially, suggests that he would eventually find the back of the net. If a team sat back and let Liverpool attack, Salah would easily bend a conservative defense until to the point it breaks.
All that being said, Salah isn't immune from some off games. For instance, his two games in the quarterfinals of this competition last season against Real Madrid left much to be desired, with Liverpool bowing out 3-1 on aggregate. Yet this season, Salah has already scored eight goals in the Champions League, second-most among all players.
