Italian FC Internazionale Milano and Spain’s Valencia CF get ready to meet up for the fourth time in the last six seasons. It is questionable that they have any secrets to hide from each other. The Spanish side has shown the better form in the group stage and emerged as winners of their section.
Inter has had the advantage in recent matches between the sides though. Valencia also has one main unhappy memory of the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium as they lost the 2001 final there on penalties to German FC Bayern Munich.
Last Thursday, UEFA publicized the match would take place in Milan following talks between the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of recent spectator incidents in Italy. The allowed capacity will be 36,000 fans.
The FIGC replied to UEFA announcing that the stadium was already in conformity with some of the measures provided for by Italian law, and that additional work had been undertaken to fully comply with new measures that have come into play.
Internazionale removed Valencia in the quarter finals of both the 2001/02 UEFA Cup and 2002/03 UEFA Champions League. Two seasons after the second of those meetings, Inter registered an amazing 5-1 group stage win at Mestalla and now face the same opponents as they pursue a place in the last eight for the fourth time in five seasons.
The first time the sides met in UEFA club competition was in the last eight of the UEFA Cup five seasons ago, where Inter held Valencia 1-1 at home before triumphing 1-0 in Spain thanks to Nicola Ventola's early score.
Inter and Valencia were later reunited in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League the following term, where Christian Vieri's 32nd minute goal was enough for Inter. Coach Hector Caper had recently joined from Valencia and won in the home leg. The same player scored again five minutes into the return and that proved decisive as the Italian side moved ahead on away goals despite goals from Pablo Aimar and Rubén Baraja for Valencia .
During the 2004/05 group stage it was even worse for Valencia as they sustained five goals at home to Roberto Mancini's men when Dejan Stanković, Adriano and Julio Cruz made the scoresheet. They reclaimed some respect with a scoreless draw in Italy but Inter pressed forward to win the group with Valencia finishing third.
Inter's first game the Meassa this season finalized in a 2-0 loss to FC Bayern München but FC Spartak Moskva (2-1) and Sporting Clube de Portugal (1-0) were then beaten for some payback. This helped the Italian outfit take second place in Group B. They managed only five goals in their six games, three of them scored by Cruz in only 174 minutes of action.
The Nerazzurri were triumphant at this stage 12 months ago, getting better from AFC Ajax's storming start to draw 2-2 in the away game as Stanković and Cruz scored second half goals. Stanković then closed out a 1-0 win in the return game.
Inter was European Champion Clubs' Cup winners in 1963/64 and followed up the next year. The first triumph, a 3-1 victory in Vienna, came at the expense of Spanish opposition, the team was then Real Madrid CF. At home Inter has lost just once to Spanish visitors, a 2-0 loss to Deportivo Alavés in the fourth round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup. Of the other 14 games they have won eight with six draws.
Valencia conquered four of their six group fixtures to finish top of Group D with 13 points and five goals, Fernando ‘el Moro’ Morientes is the joint leading marksmen in the competition. In three of their four previous UEFA Champions League terms the Spanish side has reached at least the quarter finals.
Valencia's final game in this year's group stage put them in Italy and in an encounter with AS Roma. A 1-0 defeat meant the Mestalla club has won just once in nine matches on Italian soil, that was against Roma in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage. In Italy they have six defeats. The second leg is on 6 March at Mestalla.
Sportbet.com has Valencia +345 with a +210 draw . I like Italian Inter -13 0 and the draw with this we hope Valencia doesn’t change their luck in Italy . The over 2 -140 is not for me, this game has to be defensive and under 2 Even is more my taste. Asian line has Inter -½-130 , that’s a no thanks and I feel the same for Valencia’s +½-110 .
