UEFA Champions League – How to watch Inter Milan vs Liverpool live on February 16, 2022

Topics: TV Schedules, Inter Milan, Liverpool, UEFA Champions League

The Nerazzurri and the Reds lock horns on Wednesday for the first leg of their round of 16 battle as the Italians aim to maintain their excellent home record vs Premier League clubs.

Preview

The UEFA Champions League made its much-awaited return this midweek, with two fixtures kicking off the round of 16 on Tuesday. However, the game of focus in this preview takes place on Wednesday as Italian giants Inter Milan prepare to lock horns with the almighty Liverpool in a highly-anticipated 3 p.m. ET battle.

The Nerazzurri will be the hosts for the first leg, having finished as runners-up to Real Madrid in group D. The Italians were unfortunately unable to top their group, missing out on the no.1 spot to Los Blancos by a huge five points, having won only three of the first six ties (D1, L2).

Additionally, Inzaghi's men do not enter this showdown in the best of form, having surrendered the lead in Serie A to bitter rivals AC Milan. While Lautaro Martinez and Co. beat Mourinho's Roma 2-0 in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal a week ago, Inter have failed to triumph in their last two league outings.

Their first slip-up came in the Milan Derby. Both teams had a player sent off as a brace from Olivier Giroud condemned The Black and Blue to their second defeat in the league. Their subsequent game saw them visit Napoli and once again, Inter failed to triumph as Edin Dzeko rescued a point for the Scudetto holders.

Things have been different for Liverpool, however. First of all, the English giants topped their group with ease as they came out of the first round with a perfect record, beating AC Milan, Atletico, and Porto both home and away.

Overall, the Reds boast a six-game winning streak, four of which came in the Premier League. Of the other two, one came at the Emirates Stadium in the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg tie against Arsenal, which booked their ticket to the final, while the other was an FA Cup triumph over Cardiff City.

Their most recent outing was a 1-0 victory over Burnley, a game which saw Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane return to Klopp's starting eleven for the first time since leaving Anfield for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. While the Merseyside giants fared well in their absence, with Diogo Jota stepping up to the plate and carrying the goalscoring mantle impressively, Jurgen will be pleased to have his two deadly wingers back at his disposal.

It should be noted that Liverpool were initially not expected to face Inter Milan. The Premier League heavyweights were first matched up against RB Salzburg for the round of 16, but a technical error forced the draw to be retaken. As a result, the six-time UEFA Champions League winners could feel hard done by if they fall short against the Italians. However, Salah and Co. should boast all the confidence in the world for this clash.

Team news

Inter Milan: Joaquin Correa and Robin Gosens are both nursing thigh injuries and will thus sit this clash out. To make things worse, Barella is suspended after being sent off in the Nerazzurri's last European outing, leaving Inzaghi with a few concerns. Aleksandar Kolarov was omitted from their Champions League squad to make room for the January signings but Alessandro Bastoni should return to the mix as he eligible to play in Europe.

Liverpool: Salah and Mane will spearhead the attack but it will be interesting to see who will be the no.9 as Diogo Jota is back and fit to challenge Roberto Firmino. The biggest change will likely come from the midfield as Keita, Thiago, and Milner look to make their way into the starting XI.

Key stats

This is the first time in 10 years Inter have reached the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.
The last time these two clubs met was in this exact same stage of the 2007/08 season, with Liverpool winning 3-0 on aggregate.
These two European giants have met four times before across two home and away match-ups. Liverpool won three of those four ties (L1) but progressed once while crashing out of Europe once at the hands of the Nerazzurri.
The Serie A giants have won 11 of their 16 home showdowns with English clubs, losing only twice (D3).
The Reds have won only once in their last three trips to Italy but have lost only four overall in their last 12 away matches vs Serie A outfits (W5, D3).