The Black and Reds followed up the 3-1 win in Glasgow with a 1-0 win against Rangers on Thursday in the second leg of the Round of 16 to go through to the last eight. Inter Milan beat Getafe 2-0 in their Round of 16 match. The first leg – in contrast to the Werkself and Rangers tie – fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic at the start of March.
The 'Nerazzurri' were still playing in Serie A a few days before the clash with Getafe after several double-fixture weeks in succession. The team coached by Antonio Conte ended the league season in second place behind Juventus by just one point. "I don't fear any opponent," declared Werkself coach Bosz on Sunday. "But we do have respect. We know that Inter are a good team. But we can beat a team like that. We have to play very well ourselves and we can't afford to make many mistakes."
Bosz also sees a number of plus points in his own team for the meeting with the Italian runners-up. "We also have a team that has recently gained a lot of experience; so I'm confident it will be a good game," said the Dutchman. Key defender Sven Bender added in respect of the Inter attack around star striker Romelu Lukaku, who has just scored his 30th goal of the season: "We support each other in defence. Of course, individual players have to defend and I’m prepared for the way they play but it will only work as a team and that's what we're focusing on."
Midfielder Charles Aránguiz misses the game against Inter after picking up a yellow card in the Round of 16 second leg. Bosz on the absence of the Chilean: "We've shown in the past that we can replace good players." One option is Nadiem Amiri. The Germany international has been in self-isolation the past few days due to contact with a positive case of coronavirus but he has now returned to the squad ahead of the clash with Inter. A possible appearance for Karim Bellarabi, who has recently been sidelined with muscular problems, will be decided after the final pre-match training session on Sunday at the Düsseldorf Arena, the official UEFA description of the stadium for the Europa League finals tournament. If the Werkself go through to the next round then they will play their semi-final in the state capital on 17 August.
Match information:
Broadcasters: RTL (TV), DAZN (live stream), Werkself Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The match officials will be announced on the day of the game
Xabi Alonso spent five years as a player at Liverpool. It was where he developed into a global star, winning the Champions League with The Reds in 2005 and, subsequently, three more trophies. Now he's making his first return to the Anfield Road as Bayer 04 coach. We reflect on his time at the club and take a look back at the Werkself's two previous encounters with the Liverpudlians.
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