Russia (bbabo.net), - The next matches of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League will be held in the Champions League. The main poster of Wednesday, February 16, is the confrontation between Inter and Liverpool. In a parallel meeting, the Austrian "Salzburg" will take "Bayern".

- I had to wait 54 years to play at the San Siro for the first time and now it will be twice in three months, so I'm happy to get on the Milanese! - Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp did not hide his emotions after the playoff draw.

In the group stage, the Reds successfully went to the San Siro, although by that fight they had already reached the next stage ahead of schedule, while Milan had to win to continue the fight in European competition. Despite the lack of tournament motivation, Liverpool proved to be stronger (2:1), becoming the third team, along with Ajax and Bayern, to win all six meetings in the group.

Klopp's wards generally spend a very strong season: the Reds fight in the FA Cup, reached the final of the English League Cup, do not let go far from the leader of the national championship, Manchester City, and are considered one of the favorites of the Champions League. Of course, the main merit in all these successes belongs to Klopp. "Merseysiders" get into the Champions League for the fifth time in a row, and all under the guidance of a German specialist. At the same time, in the last two draws of the tournament, Mohammed Salah and the company could not even reach the semi-finals: in 2020 they lost in the 1/8 finals of Atlético Madrid, a year later - in the quarter-finals of Real Madrid.

Speaking about the chances of winning the Champions League, Klopp said: it’s just that his players will definitely not be. "That's the Liverpool way - it's never easy, so let's try it. It's a real Champions League couple - Inter are very strong. Of course, it's a tough draw, definitely. They are one of the leaders in Italian football and that says it all." Klopp noted.

Inter vs Liverpool are one of two Champions League Round of 16 pairings to see teams that have won the competition

By the way, the duel between Inter and Liverpool is one of two confrontations of the 1/8 finals of the current season, in which the former owners of the Champions League will compete with each other (the other such pair is Benfica - Ajax). At the same time, the paths of these clubs have crossed only five times.

Speaking of Inter, the Milanese have become a formidable force in the last season and a half: last year they won the league title for the first time in 11 years. Interestingly, Inter is the last winner of the Champions League from Italy (2010). Since then, the Blue-Blacks, to put it mildly, do not shine in European competition. Suffice it to say that the team is playing in the playoffs of the Champions League for the 11th time, but for the first time in ten years.

- We know what awaits us in matches with the British. It will be necessary to work intensively all the time, because they play high-speed and power football. On my list of clubs to avoid, Liverpool was number one. However, we will try to prepare in the best possible way - said the helmsman "Inter" Simone Inzaghi.

UEFA will distribute 10,000 free tickets for the Champions League final in St. Petersburg

Unlike a pair of "Inter" - "Liverpool" in the confrontation between "Salzburg" and "Bayern" the favorite is obvious. But the Bayern, despite all their power, sometimes stumble in an incomprehensible way, as they did at the weekend in the away match with Bochum. Leading 1-0, Bayern conceded as many as four goals in the first half and eventually suffered a sensational defeat - 2:4. The position in the Bundesliga was not affected, as Julian Nagelsmann's team continues to lead with a six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, but the Bayern team are not in the best mood for the game in Austria.

- We looked very bad before the break, our plan did not work. During the break in the locker room, I did not shout or scold anyone. I think each of the guys understood that they did not perform well. Ahead of the Champions League, so we need to get together - said Nagelsmann.

As already emphasized earlier, Bayern is the undisputed favorite of the confrontation with Salzburg. Among other things, the history of official meetings also speaks in favor of the German team: in the group stage of the Champions League in 2020, Munich beat the Bulls twice (3:1 at home and 6:2 away).

But underestimating your rival Robert Lewandowski and the company is definitely not worth it. Salzburg is the first Austrian club to qualify for the Champions League playoffs. In the group round of the current competition, the Bulls took second place, beating the reigning French champions Lille (2:1) at home and scoring four points in two matches against one of the leading Spanish teams Sevilla (1:1 and 1 :0).

It should be noted that the first matches of the 1/8 finals took place in the Champions League the day before: the results of the meetings Paris Saint-Germain (France) - Real Madrid (Spain) and Sporting CP (Portugal) - Manchester City (England) became known after signing the issue for printing.Well, on Thursday St. Petersburg "Zenith" will be the first of the Russian clubs to hold an official match this year: in the first play-off for the right to participate in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League, Sergei Semak's wards will take on one of the leaders of the Spanish Examples "Betis".

- Before the draw, I said that there are several clubs that stand out against the general background - these are Napoli, Real Sociedad and Betis. We got a very difficult opponent. It is always difficult to play with the Spaniards, given their technical equipment, ball control, so the lot was not the most successful, - believes Zenit head coach Sergei Semak.

Where will we watch

February 16, Wednesday,

"Match TV"

22.45. Champions League. Inter (Italy) - Liverpool (England). Live broadcast.

"Match! Football 1"

22.45. Champions League. Salzburg (Austria) - Bayern (Germany). Live broadcast.

February 17, Thursday,

"Match TV"

20.15. Europa League. Zenit (Russia) - Betis (Spain). Live broadcast.

From the venue

St. Petersburg is ready to host the UEFA Champions League final, which will take place here on May 28, 2022. This conclusion was made by experts from UEFA, who inspected the condition of the stadium where the match will be held, and the infrastructure facilities adjacent to it. Separately, the quality of the coverage of the field "Gazprom Arena" was evaluated.

As Aleksey Sorokin, head of the organizing committee of the Champions League final, noted, preparations for the game are going according to plan.

“We cannot complain or report problems to you, because there are no major challenges,” he told reporters. - Our colleagues from UEFA are completely satisfied with the course of the surface preparation. All sites in the city have been officially confirmed, the necessary agreements with hotels have been signed, and then we will have the usual technical work.

He assured that all obligations on security, transport, and other aspects of preparation for the final by both the federal authorities and St. Petersburg would be fulfilled in full.

This is an important announcement, as many guests are expected in the city. This is evidenced by the already begun hype around tickets. And this despite the fact that sales themselves have not yet begun. Recall that the capacity of the stadium on Krestovsky Island is 63,026 spectators.

The great public interest in the event is also evidenced by the fact that 5,700 people sent applications for volunteer work at the match. This is nine times more than necessary. Interest in volunteering was shown not only by compatriots, applications came from 80 countries. Thus, almost every language of the world will be represented among the volunteers, including Hindi and Swahili.

- The city is preparing to receive up to 40,000 guests, - said Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Boris Piotrovsky. - An additional terminal of Pulkovo airport will be used. The gathering places for fans have also been determined. These are the 300th anniversary park and the Yubileiny sports complex.

The day after the Champions League final in St. Petersburg will celebrate another significant event - City Day. Thus, the League fans' festival will smoothly flow into a city-wide holiday.

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