Yann Sommer Returns For Inter But Several Changes Expected Against Feyenoord

Written By Onyeka Daniel

Today, at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, it will be Inter Milan against Feyenoord in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 tie with the Nerazzurri having a an advantage from the first leg with a 2-0 win at the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam few days back.

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With a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs, Simone Inzaghi is expected to field a competitive team, even if his choices will be determined by injuries, fatigue and the upcoming Scudetto decider away to Atalanta at the weekend also in mind.

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Already, the coach has already stated that Yann Sommer will be starting in goal after missing the last few matches due to injury as Josep Martínez has played in his stead. Furthermore, more changes is expected in the lineup despite the importance of the game.

The likes of Nicolo Barella, Alessandro Bastoni, and Lautaro Martinez will also likely get a rest too according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport. Despite having an advantage from the first leg, they know that their job is far from done securing a place in the quarterfinals.

At the same time, they cannot only think about today’s match alone as they also face the impressive La Dea at the Gewiss Stadium in Serie A next weekend. That match could have a huge impact on the title race, particularly after Atalanta’s statement win over Juventus.

There is more worries for the team owing to injury and fatigue because even the players not out with injury are struggling to cope with the demands of the fixture list across three separate competitions. Hence, Inzaghi is ready to make a few changes to his team.

The coach does not want to burn out key members of the starting eleven at this stage of the season when they’re out fighting on three fronts. Therefore, according to the report, three big names that were in the starting eleven against Monza on Saturday will drop to the bench.

Firstly, Barella will get a chance to take a rest, with Davide Frattesi starting in his place instead, at least it seems like the most logical choice as Piotr Zielinski is out with injury. Then, in defense, Bastoni will also get a rest, as he has been helping out lately, even out of position.

With Carlos Augusto returning, the former Monza man can play as a left wing-back (Federico Dimarco is injured) or even as a left centre-back. Lastly, Lautaro will not start too, despite his heroics in the first leg. The Argentine had a bit of a fitness scare in the weekend’s match against Monza.

Therefore, Mehdi Taremi will start in his place, and there will be a choice between Marcus Thuram or Marko Arnautovic as his strike partner. Meanwhile, for the former Lazio manager, he is chasing only Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and Luis Enrique at Barcelona for a unique record.

The managerial record is for win percentage at a single club in the Champions League. According to the same source, they report that the 48-year-old has a sterling record to protect against Feyenoord in his 200th match as Inter coach.

So far, Inzaghi has taken charge of 199 Inter matches in all competitions since he arrived in the summer of 2021. This will be his 200th match in charge.Consequently, he is aiming to extend one of the most formidable win records at a single club in the UCL with a victory today.

This season alone, Inter have won eleven out of their thirteen matches in Europe’s top club competition. Europe’s elite competition has arguably been where Inzaghi’s Inter have shone the most. There have been stumbles and setbacks.

Last season, for example, Inter were disappointed to go out at the round of sixteen stage against Atletico Madrid, but on balance, Inzaghi has a winning record in Europe with Inter. The Nerazzurri have never failed to get to the knockout rounds since his arrival.

The last home loss in the Champions League for Inter was to Bayern Munich in October of 2022. There are only two coaches with a better win percentage with a single club than Inzaghi with Inter. One is current Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

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The Italian tactician has won the UCL three times with Real Madrid on two occasions, and turned them into a winning machine. Then, Enrique’s three-year spell in charge of Barcelona boasted a better winning record than Inzaghi’s ongoing tenure at Inter.

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