INTER – VIKTORIA PLZEN | Wednesday 6:45pm
Although with an unfailing dose of ‘madness’ – which has always been part of this club’s DNA as the famous anthem goes – Inter managed to get their season back on track. The turning point came against Barcelona in the San Siro match decided by a goal from Calhanoglu and characterised by heated controversy due to the alleged touch of Dumfries’ hand in the blaugrana area and the missed penalty awarded to the Catalans. A victory that gave the Nerazzurri the chance to travel to a fiery Camp Nou and play for two results out of three. And Simone Inzaghi’s side can now qualify for the round of 16 with one round to spare, as they did last year in the event of a success against Group C bottom-of-the-table Viktoria Plzen, who, after four matches, are pegged on zero points and almost out of the running.
In Catalonia, a fortnight ago, anything really happened. But Inter surprised with the determination with which they tackled a crucial match, showing great courage and personality despite the fact that there are still many faults to be ironed out.
Inzaghi, a win to reach the round of 16
The momentary 2-3 goal scored by Gosens in the 89th minute could have sealed the deal, but Lewandowski’s ever-present equaliser in the second half ‘forced’ the Nerazzurri to win against the Czechs, who had already been soundly defeated (0-2) by Lautaro Martinez and co. in the first leg. Inter have meanwhile also recovered in the league. The pyrotechnic 3-4 at home to Fiorentina – another rather eventful match, in which the Nerazzurri played intermittently – is the third success in a row after those against Sassuolo and Salernitana. Viktoria Plzen, on the other hand, are in the thick of things at home, and on Saturday they cancelled out the resounding faux pas in the national cup against lowly Hlucin by winning 3-1 over Banik Ostrava and consolidating top spot in the standings.
Bucha (left) after being sent off in the first leg
The Prediction
Inter’s only real opponent here seems to be pressure. For the rest, Viktoria Plzen have proved to be very little at this level, and another victory for the Nerazzurri is very likely at a still sold-out San Siro. The question is how well the Czech defence will hold up, with Inter looking to close it down immediately to avoid complicating life. The total number of goals is likely to be at least four.
The likely line-up for Inter v Viktoria Plzen
- INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Škriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Džeko, Lautaro Martínez.
- VIKTORIA PLZEN (4-2-3-1): Staněk; Havel, Hejda, Pernica, Jemelka; Bucha, Kalvach; Holík, Vlkanova, Mosquera; Chorý.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
