Feyenoord Vs Inter Milan Prediction: De Trots Van Zuid Aims For Surprise In De Kuip

JAKARTA - Rotterdam will witness the meeting between Feyennoord and Inter Milan in the first leg of the last 16 of the 2024/2025 Champions League, Thursday 6 March WIB. Feyennoord, who managed to get rid of AC Milan in the playoffs, is now ambitious to tame other Italian giants, while Inter come with solid defense and experience in European elite competitions.

Feyenoord made history by eliminating AC Milan in the playoffs. A narrow 1-0 win in the first leg gave them an advantage when they traveled to the San Siro. Despite being left behind by Santiago Gimenez's quick goal, Theo Hernandez's red card gave Feyennoord an advantage. Julian Carranza, who came on as a substitute, scored a goal to equalize and ensured his team's pass.

This success occurred in the midst of changing coaches. Pascal Bosschaart had become interim coach after the dismissal of Brian Priske. Now, club legend Robin van Persie is taking control of the team and is immediately faced with a big challenge against Inter Milan.

Despite experiencing consistency problems at the Eredivisie with three defeats in the last eight games, Feyenoord began to show signs of revival. They were unbeaten in all the last six matches, including a goalless draw against NEC Nijmegen on Van Persie's debut on the bench.

Feyenoord has a positive record against the Italian team, with only one loss in 12 home games against Serie A. History also noted that they had eliminated Inter in the 2001/2002 UEFA Cup semifinals, before finally becoming champions.

Inter Milan came to the round of 16 with the least team conceded in the Champions League league phase this season. From eight games, they conceded just one goal. This statistic shows the effectiveness of Simone Inzaghi's defensive strategy, who managed to keep the net safe in the nearly 60% of the Champions League games he leads.

Inter's performance this season is also impressive. Of the 39 matches in all competitions, they won 26 times and lost only five times. In Serie A, they competed fiercely to defend the Scudetto title. In the last match, they drew 1-1 against Napoli after winning through Federico Dimarco's goal.

Inter also have extensive experience in the Champions League. They were finalists two years ago and only lost three times in the last 23 games in the competition. In addition, they have been unbeaten in their last 11 matches against Dutch clubs since their defeat to Feyennoord in 2002.

However, there is one note that can be worrying for Inter: they have a squad with the oldest average age in the Champions League this season, which is 29 years 320 days. This can be a challenge when facing Feyenoord's young energy.

Feyenoord had to face Inter with a limp squad. A total of 11 of their players have the potential to be sidelined due to injuries, including Quinten Timber, Calvin Stengs, Justin Bijlow, and Ayase Ueda. In addition, Givairo Read must undergo card accumulation sanctions.

However, the good news is that Igor Paixao is ready to play. The Brazilian winger has been involved in six goals in the Champions League this season, equaling the club's record.

Inter Milan also has several injury problems, especially in the backline and wing-back sectors. Carlos Augusto, Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco, and Nicola Zalewski were unable to play. Yann Sommer's main goalkeeper was also absent.

However, they can still rely on the sharp duo of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram up front. Lautaro is now likely to be Inter's top scorer in the history of the Champions League if he scores his 18th goal in this event.

Feyenoord have a high fighting spirit and a good record against the Italian team, but they have to face Inter with a squad drained by injury. Meanwhile, Inter have a strong defense and experience in the Champions League, although they will be playing without some of the core players.

With solid defense and attack effectiveness, Inter Milan is slightly more favored. However, Feyennoord has the potential to be surprising if it is able to take advantage of De Kuip's full support.

Feyenoord (4-3-3):Wellenreuther; Mitchell, Beelen, Hancko, Bueno; Ivanusec, Moder, Smal; Hadj Moussa, Carranza, Paixao

Inter Milan (3-5-2):J. Martinez; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Pavard, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dumfries; L. Martinez, Thuram

Score Prediction: Feyenoord 1-2 Inter Milan