And now it's getting serious. Without taking anything away from Juventus and Roma and their successes against Young Boys and Viktoria Plzen, tonight Italian football will definitely have to raise the bar if it wants to repeat itself. In fact, Inter and Napoli are preparing to face the leaders of Holland and England, and if it is true that Liverpool are much scarier than PSV, it is equally true that the away match in Eindhoven always hides pitfalls. And then these two groups are the most difficult and balanced in the entire Champions League, which is why each matchday can prove to be decisive for the purposes of qualifying.
"We'll have to be careful, concentrated and put all our qualities on the field - Spalletti explained at the press conference - PSV knows how to fight hard, they have intensity, they don't allow you to think, it will be essential to take advantage of the spaces and get the ball moving with speed . We are not here to make calculations but to go on the pitch and win the game”.
It is therefore forbidden to think of a draw, which would also be good in terms of qualifying, and space for an offensive and proactive 4-2-3-1, in search of 3 points that would significantly direct the path towards the second round. In defense, in front of Handanovic, D'Ambrosio, De Vrij, Skriniar and Asamoah will act, with Brozovic and Vecino in midfield, Politano, Nainggolan and Perisic in the trocar, Icardi in attack.
"Inter, like all Italian teams, always gives you the idea that you're playing well, but then, suddenly, they find the play that changes the game - thought Van Bommel - In Italy, the details are decisive, this is the big difference compared to Holland but everyone has weaknesses, even the nerazzurri”.
The former Milan midfielder (Italian champion in 2011) dreams of the coup with a 4-3-3 with Zoet between the posts, Dumfries, Viergever, Schwaab and Angelino in the back, Rosario, Pereiro and Hendrix in the midfield, Bergwijn , De Jong and Lozano in the offensive trident.
If this with PSV is an opportunity for Inter to make the most of, Napoli's match against Liverpool risks being even fundamental. In fact, Belgrade's misstep forces the Azzurri to fix it as soon as possible, otherwise they will end up chasing two heavyweights like the Reds and PSG, moreover without the slightest margin of error. A very black prospect, especially after the defeat in Turin which reaffirmed that the Scudetto, again this year, is more a dream than a goal. And if we add to this that Ancelotti has been hired to improve the European path, it can be seen that tonight, for the Azzurri, it is mandatory to get a result, possibly full.
"It won't be decisive but of course we've already lost two points with Red Star, we can't lose any more - confirmed Ancelotti - We know that Liverpool are one of the strongest teams in Europe, but we have a strategy to beat them and we'll have to be good to implement it to the fullest. It won't be easy but the key to the match is all there…”.
So Carletto has a plan in mind and he strongly hopes that his people know how to put it into practice, perhaps without the referee creating unsolicited problems. The designation of the Hungarian Kassai (that of a disastrous Real Madrid-Bayern in which the blue coach, then on the German bench, was eliminated in extra time), does not leave him calm ("I have bad memories, I'm surprised that UEFA has chosen like this”) but that's it: the game must be won even like this.
Against the English it will be 4-4-2 with Ospina in goal, Malcuit, Albiol, Koulibaly and Mario Rui in defence, Callejon, Allan, Zielinski and Verdi in midfield, Insigne and Mertens in attack. “I don't see a big gap between us and them, we know we'll find a very hot environment but we're ready – Klopp's analysis. – We know what to do and we will do it in the best possible way, we always play to win and it will be the same this time”.
A lot of confidence also for the German coach, aware that a positive result at the San Paolo would be worth a good chunk of qualifying. His Liverpool will try with the usual 4-3-3 with Alisson in goal, Alexander Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez and Robertson in the back, Wijnaldum, Henderson and Milner in the midfield, Salah, Firmino and Mané in the offensive trident.
