Inter Milan are have their eyes set on finishing the job in Italy as they face Feyenoord in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 clash.
- Date: 11/03/2025
- Kick-off time: 20:00
- Location: San Siro, Milan
In the first leg, Inter came out on top in what was a fairly comfortable 2-0 victory. Despite a good start from Feyenoord, Inter weathered the storm and goals from strikers Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez sealed the win. They will be slightly disappointed not have made it 3-0 as Piotr Zieliński saw his second half penalty saved, but the result is overwhelmingly good for Inter and they’re huge favourites to progress.
The Italian giants are the favourites to retain their Serie A title, too, as they’re currently top of the league table in what is an extremely tight title race. With Napoli having lost Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG in January, Inter are now heavily fancied to successfully defend their title, owing to a superior arsenal of firepower.
Inter were beaten finalists in 2023 in this competition and they lost to Atlético Madrid in the last 16 last season in a tie they were heavily fancied in, so they’ll feel like they’ve got unfinished business in the Champions League. In a period where they’ve been the best side in Italy, it may be a long time before Inter are better equipped to win this competition so they need to take advantage of that. Should they win here, which is likely, then a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen awaits.
Feyenoord are likely facing a last 16 exit on Tuesday night. The Dutch club have largely had a strong campaign in this competition so the ultimate reflection should be overwhelmingly positive, even if they might be disappointed at the manner of their exit.
Feyenoord will feel as though injuries and absences have prevented them from having a proper crack at this tie, which, when you look at the sheer length of their absentee list, is probably true. However, they did manage to knock AC Milan out of the competition with a similarly depleted squad.
In what has been a turbulent season for the Dutch club, they’ll hope that they now start to move forward as a team under Robin van Persie. The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker was appointed permanently a few weeks back after Brian Priske was dismissed back in January, and two games into his tenure, Feyenoord are winless.
The appointment has received a mixed reception but regardless of any scepticism, Feyenoord will at least now feel settled. It’s highly unlikely that they’re going to go through here, but if Van Persie’s men can at least deliver a positive performance, they can walk away with their heads held high.