Nicolo Barella admitted that he was still not certain of whether or not he would be allowed to feature in the second leg of Inter Milan’s Champions League meeting with Liverpool.
The midfielder earned himself a one-match ban at the very least for his antics in a group stage tie with Real Madrid, which will absolutely rule him out of the first leg game at the San Siro in February.
“We dominated in Madrid for the first 60 minutes, then I made a mistake and ruined our game,” the Italian was quoted by the Cult of Calcio after accepting the Best Midfielder of the Year award at a La Gazzetta dello Sport event. “I hope I can be there for the second leg.”
The former reported Reds target had lashed out at Eder Militao after being sent into the advertisement boards, an act that earnt the player his marching orders.
Missing Barella for both legs would undoubtedly be a significant absence for Simone Inzaghi’s men in their bid to progress past the Round of 16.
Nonetheless, we of course shouldn’t go as far as underestimating the current Italian top-flight leaders, particularly when the club can still rely on quality performers like Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko.
That being said, with the form we’re in both domestically and abroad since the end of the international break, we have to be considered strong contenders to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Fouls, indirect free-kicks and match-fixing: Liverpool vs. Inter Milan 1965