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Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has backed the Reds to overcome high-flying Inter Milan in the Champions League. The Nerazzurri host the Merseyside outfit at the San Siro tonight in the first leg before the return at Anfield on March 8.
Simone Inzaghi's side have been on a good run of form this season, and look well-placed for a second consecutive Scudetto title. The Reds, meanwhile, are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second straight year.
The Reds are also in good form; they are unbeaten in their last ten games across competitions, including wins in their last six.
Jurgen Klopp's troops sailed through the group stage of this season's Champions League with a 100% record. That included a 2-1 victory at tonight's venue against Inter's derby rivals AC Milan.
Owen, who played for the Reds for eight years, has backed his former side to prevail at the San Siro again, despite admitting it won't be a straightforward affair. In his column for BetVictor, he wrote:
“Going to the San Siro is never easy, but the fact Liverpool won here earlier in the season will help them. Inter have had a good season domestically, but did lose both matches to Real Madrid in the group stage. I think they aren’t quite on Liverpool’s level, and could struggle to deal with the Reds on the break. I can see a 2-0 Liverpool win.”
Liverpool and Inter Milan's only clash in the competition came at the same stage of the Champions League in 2008.
The Reds won 2-0 at Anfield in the first leg of that clash, courtesy of late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard. A Fernando Torres strike earned them a 1-0 win in Milan to complete a 3-0 whitewash on aggregate.
Liverpool wary despite Inter Milan's patchy European record
Inter Milan's recent record in the Champions League has been abysmal. They lost in the group stage for three consecutive years, between 2018 and 2020. They only reached the last 16 this year by the skin of their teeth.
As Owen pointed out, the Nerazzurri lost both home and away to Los Blancos, just like they did in their group meetings the year before.
The Nerazzurri tend to struggle against teams with European pedigree, having also failed to beat Barcelona in four group meetings in 2018 and 2019.
Meanwhile, the Reds have re-established themselves as European giants under Jurgen Klopp. They won their sixth title in the competition three years ago, and will start as the favourites in tonight's clash.
