Diego Forlan ineligible for Inter Milan's opening Champions League group match
Following Inter Milan’s surprise defeat at the hands of Palermo in their opening Serie A match – the first time they’ve been defeated in their first match of the domestic season since 2000 – Gian Piero Gasperini will be hoping his side can get their Champions League adventure off to a flying start when Turkish side Trabzonspor visit the Giuseppe Meazza this evening.
The visitors are only in this competition because Fenerbache were axed from the tournament by the Turkish Football Federation, but they will take heart from the fact that the Milanese club conceded a whopping 21 goals in 10 games during their 2010/11 Champions League campaign. And their match in Sicily at the weekend hardly helped instil confidence amongst supporters that the Beneamata defensive line has improved.
On the upside were the Nerazzurri are concerned, they have qualified for the round of 16 in eight of their previous nine forays into the Champions League, and, to all intents and purposes, appear to have a relatively straightforward task of enhancing that ratio, with CSKA Moscow and Lille the other two clubs in the group.
Though there are negative factors surrounding the home side – including the ineligibility of Diego Forlan for this tournament, and the fact that Thiago, Maicon, Ivan Cordoba and Emiliano Viviano are injured at present – it will be bitterly disappointing if they cannot secure all three points at the San Siro tonight.
Despite being turned over by Palermo, it was heartening from an Inter perspective to see Diego Milito looking sharp, and at around the 7-2 mark the Argentinean rates a good bet to score first.