Key events
20 min A good spell this for Liverpool, whose phalanx of midfielders are playing some good stuff in tight areas.
18 min That’s more like it. Jones dances neatly away from Mkhitaryan and drives a low shot across goal from 20 yards. Sommer plunges to his right to push it away; moments later, he falls to his right to push away a long-range wobbler from Gravenberch. Both were relatively comfortable saves.
17 min This game needs a bit of sildenafil citrate, or at least some Red Bull: neither attack has offered any penetration in the first 17 minutes.
15 min Martinez slid a long way into Robertson, but he made contact with his shin rather than his studs, hence a yellow card rather than a red.
13 min Inter captain Lautaro Martinez wipes out Andy Robertson and is booked. He apologies immediately to Robertson, who flipped up in the air like he’d been launched from an ejector seat.
11 min: Inter substitution Piotr Zielinski replaces Calhanoglu, who is able to walk from the field but has, I think, injured either a calf muscle or a hamstring.
10 min An early injury problem for Inter: Hakan Calhanoglu has pulled something and won’t be able to continue.
9 min “Interesting match, this,” writes Kieran McKintosh. “Because right now, Inter are everything Liverpool aren’t. Defensively strong. Practically unbeatable at home. Knowing how to nurture younger players. Very strong with two strikers. And consistent.
“I didn’t know what to think of Chivu at first. But he’s stuck to the winning formula and won the backing of players and fans alike. Slot could learn a thing or two from him.”
But weren’t we saying the same thing about Slot a year ago?
7 min It’s been a cagey start, with each team having a little spell of sterile domination.
5 min Now it’s Inter’s turn to keep the ball for a minute or more. Eventually Barella blooters a crossfield pass that is headed away by Robertson.
3 min Lots of Liverpool possession early on. Isak pulls out to the right and drives a low cross that is cut out by an Inter defender in the middle.
2 min Liverpool have started with Mac Allister as the advanced central midfielder, with Szoboszlai to the right and Jones to the left. Looks a fairly fluid formation.
1 min Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch.
The players line up for the Champions League anthem. Theer’s a cracking atmosphere at San Siro, though this isn’t really news.
“An exciting attacking line up!” writes Matt Dony. “Problem is, it’s tricky to see the screen with this elephant hanging around…”
I’ve been called some things in my time at the Guardian but that’s a new one.
A reminder of the teams
Internazionale (3-5-2) Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; M Thuram, L Martinez.
Subs: J Martinez, Taho, De Vrij, Zielinski, Sucic, Bonny, Frattesi, Diouf, Carlos Augusto, Bisseck, Cocchi, Esposito.
Liverpool (4-D-2) Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch; Jones, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai; Isak, Ekitike.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Kerkez, Wirtz, Bradley, Nyoni, Ngumoha, Lucky.
Referee Felix Zwayer (Germany).
Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts
It’s a great fixture to look forward to. Like I said yesterday when people asked, not that many did, I told them how well Inter have started the season, that they made two of the last three finals.
[On his team selection] At this moment in time I have 13 outfield players with Champions League experience available. If you don’t have wingers available, apart from Rio [Ngumoha] who is very young, playing with two No9s is the most logical thing to do. The more [Isak and Ekitike] play together, the more they will find a connection.
Internazionale’s last home defeat in Europe was against Bayern Munich on 7 September 2022. Since then they’ve won 15 and drawn three, including victories over Barcelona (twice), Arsenal and Milan.
The Prime Video coverage has Liverpool in a 4-3-1-2 formation with Szoboszlai playing behind Isak and Ekitike. Not sure they’ll play without width, especially as Joe Gomez is at right-back. We’ll find out at 8pm sharp.
Curtis Jones, who will be part of a beefed-up Liverpool midfield, talks to Prime Video
[What’s the mood in the camp?] Positive. We’re always positive – we want to play well and win every game.
[On Inter’s excellent CL home record] We’re coming here to take that away. And just play our game as well. We want to be brave on the ball and put up a fight.
[On the consequences of defeat] I’m not thinking about a loss. It’d be mad to come into a game thinking like that.
Team news
Arne Slot makes four changes from the 3-3 draw at Leeds: Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander Isak replace Milos Kerkez, Conor Bradley, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo. Liverpool have named only eight of a possible 12 subs.
Cristian Chivu makes one change to the Inter side that hammered Como at the weekend: Henrikh Mkhitaryan replaces Piotr Zielinski in midfield.
Internazionale (3-5-2) Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; M Thuram, L Martinez.
Subs: J Martinez, Taho, De Vrij, Zielinski, Sucic, Bonny, Frattesi, Diouf, Carlos Augusto, Bisseck, Cocchi, Esposito.
Liverpool (possible 4-3-3) Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Isak, Ekitike.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Kerkez, Wirtz, Bradley, Nyoni, Ngumoha, Lucky.
Referee Felix Zwayer (Germany).
Jonathan Wilson on Mo Salah
There is perhaps nothing in a career as hard as the leaving of it. Unless something utterly remarkable happens, Mohamed Salah has played his last game for Liverpool. Left out of the starting lineup for each of the last three matches, he trained on Monday after his extraordinary post-match tirade following the 3-3 draw with Leeds but he has not been selected for the Champions League against Inter on Tuesday. He may or may not be with the team for Saturday’s game at Anfield against Brighton (“I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it,” he said). After that, he will be in Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations with the Egypt national team and the transfer window will have opened by the time the tournament is over.
How has it come to this? Salah is one of Liverpool’s all-time greats. He lies behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in their all-time goalscoring charts. Across all clubs, only Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney have scored more Premier League goals. He played a key role in two Premier League titles and a Champions League. He’s won the Premier League Golden Boot four times and been named player of the year three times by both his fellow players and soccer writers – including last year. He’s only 33 and there has been no obvious sign yet of him fading with age. This is not the end anybody would have wanted.
There’s plenty of hot, sweaty Champions League action tonight, including Spurs v Slavia Prague and Atalanta v Chelsea. You can follow those games with Niall McVeigh.
‘A meltdown worthy of Saturday Kitchen’
Preamble
We interrupt the news cycle to bring you news of an actual football match: Internazionale v Liverpool in the Champions League. Liverpool’s miserable season took another twist when Mo Salah torched a load of metaphorical bridges at Elland Road on Saturday night. He isn’t in the squad for tonight’s game and may have played his last game for the club. At this rate, given the difficulties their new players have had settling in, Liverpool’s end-of-season DVD will be called Mo Money Mo Problems.
Or maybe it’ll be The Magnificent Seven. Liverpool know as well as any club that a disappointing first half of the season doesn’t preclude you winning trophies in the second: 1980-81, 1981-82 and 2004-05 spring to mind. Right now, despite everything, they are still in the hunt for a seventh European Cup.
They started the day in 13th place in the Champions League table, but only two points behind PSG in second. Inter, who were humiliated by PSG in last year’s final, have put that behind him to take 12 points from their first five games. In the end, the actual football is what matters – even if, on nights like tonight, you wouldn’t necessarily know it.
Kick off 8pm GMT.
