Inter Milan to Clash with Liverpool

Liverpool Restocked for Visit to Milan

With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane back from Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool travels to play Inter Milan for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie at Stadio San Siro. You can live-bet on the Champions League action by using our sportsbook.

Inter Milan: Major Crisis

Inter Milan is currently in the middle of its first and only stumble of the season, just before the most important match of the season — the UCL clash against Liverpool. We haven’t seen Inter at its best since the beginning of the new year and given the recent struggle, it will need a miracle to beat Jurgen Klopp’s side and knock the Reds out of the competition.

Inter Milan vs. Liverpool: Champions League Round of 16 Betting Picks

Despite playing on home soil, Inter Milan enters this match as huge underdogs at +250 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds. With the absences of Nicolo Barella, their most important midfielder, and Alessandro Bastoni also a factor, Inter will have to be at its absolute best to challenge Liverpool, the 2019 winners of this competition. Barella will miss both games against Liverpool after his one-game suspension was upgraded to two after punching Eder Militao in the final Group Stage game against Real Madrid.

Inter’s star striker, Lautaro Martinez, is also out of form. He hasn’t scored for six games, with his last goal coming in the 5-0 win against Salernitana before Christmas. If he is ever to become an elite scorer, he must become a more consistent striker. Inter secured its marginal lead over Napoli in Serie A after the 1-1 draw, but lost first place in the Italian top-flight lead with AC Milan leapfrogging them in the standings.

Inter will hope that striker Edin Dzeko can play a decisive role in this double-legged tie. The Bosnian international has already scored against the Reds in the Champions League knockout stages and in both legs of their semifinal clash with Roma in 2018. Dzeko’s attacking influence is crucial and his equalizing goal against Napoli from the weekend highlighted once again his decisive goal-scoring role. Having also recently scored key goals against Venezia and AS Roma. Dzeko has shown that he can score on the biggest occasions by having a great composure in front of goal. But we don’t recommend you include a home win in your soccer picks and parlays. Given Inter’s recent struggles and squad issues, we will avoid them, at least in the Champions League.

First and most important, Inter must improve as they must hit a vital season-defining period. They are fighting for the Scudetto with AC Milan and Napoli and their main objective is to win the domestic title. The Champions League is also important, but they have no chance to win it and even if they lose against Liverpool, it won’t be a big drama. Inter will also be without Argentine striker Joaquin Correa and German left wing-back Robin Gosens, who newly transferred from Atalanta.

Liverpool: Superior Side

Liverpool beat Sean Dyche’s Burnley 1-0 in the English Premier League. A first-half goal from Brazilian midfielder Fabinho solved the match for Klopp’s troops. The Reds will definitely have an attacking approach that follows Klopp’s signature, with the German coach insisting on such a system in any club he led. The visitors are enjoying a great run of form with six wins in a row across all competitions and going unbeaten in 2022.

In the English top-flight league, the Reds are trailing leaders Man City by nine points, having a game in hand on them. With the domestic title almost wrapped up by the Citizens, Klopp will be desperate to win Europe’s most important soccer competition. They will try to solve the qualification issue from the first leg and take advantage of Inter’s problems on and off the pitch. If you’re betting online, Liverpool is the team to bet .

Porto’s Luis Diaz has become the club’s latest high-profile midseason arrival, as he secured a switch from the Portuguese top-flight league leaders in a deal worth up to $67 million. He’s a versatile player with great pace and world-class creativity. He will definitely win his spot in the starting XI and score many goals.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter team has a slight advantage in terms of rest days, having played a day earlier than Klopp’s men at the weekend, but that shouldn’t be a big problem for Liverpool. We’re not picking any sides, but we trust Liverpool’s attacking firepower and we expect them to score at least two goals at San Siro.

• Pick: Liverpool Over 1½ goals (-120)