Tuesday March 15th 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on Sky Sports 4)
Following AC Milan’s exit from this competition last week, Inter are the only Italian club who remain in contention for a European prize this season. Last year’s Champions League winners will have to overturn a 1-0 deficit however if they are to progress to the quarter finals of this year’s competition.
Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal announced this day last week that he will leave the club at the end of this season due to differences with the Bayern board. Last year’s Bundesliga winners have had a disappointing domestic campaign this time around, and they won’t retain their title this year.
Inter are also trailing in the race to retain their domestic league title, but are not as far from the top of the table as their German opponents. Their hopes suffered a setback on Friday however, when they conceded a late equaliser at relegation candidates Brescia. Bayern thrashed Hamburg 6-0 on Saturday, in a game which yielded a hat-trick for dangerous Dutch winger Arjen Robben.
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| Robben - hoping to avenge last year's defeat to Inter in the final |
So what should we expect from this meeting of last year’s Champions League finalists? While Bayern retain the same manager which brought them all the way to the final (for now), Inter have had two different coaches since their 2-0 win in last year’s final. While Leonardo has been doing a good job since taking over in December, he is no Jose Mourinho, and Inter no longer play with the assurance they showed under the Portugese coach.
They are faced with the task of keeping a fit and in-form Robben and Franck Ribéry quiet in front of their home fans, a tough task for even a fully-fit squad. Inter are depleted at the moment however – key central defender Lucio is injured, but will make the trip to Germany. If he is unable to play he will probably be replaced by Ivan Cordoba – who has struggled with injury himself - or Christian Chivu. Diego Milito is also likely to miss out due to injury, so Goran Pandev is likely to partner Samuel Eto’o up front for the Nerazzurri. Key midfielder Esteban Cambiasso is also a doubt, as he missed the Brescia game due to injury. Bayern have no new injury concerns.
If Inter do go through tomorrow, they will become only the second team in Champions League history to lose at home and then go through via an away win in the second leg. The odds are against them for a reason, and I think their defence of the Champions League will end tomorrow in a game which should feature a few goals.
Prediction – Bayern Munich to win – 5pts
Match odds: Bayern Munich 19/20
Draw 13/5
Inter 11/4
