Butcher of Italians is waiting for Inter!

For Robin van Persie, who has been only a week at the helm of the team from Rotterdam, this will be his first game in the Champions League. And what a debut it will be!

His debut with NEC might not have been up to expectations for Van Persie and Feyenoord fans, as it ended goalless, but Robin certainly had the opportunity to assess where the team needs improvement ahead of their clash with the Italians. It's now up to him to repeat the success of his predecessor, Pascal Bosschaert, who served as interim coach following the departure of Arne Slot.

Bosschaert managed to eliminate fierce local rivals Inter, and beat Milan (2-1) in two playoff games, securing Feyenoord a clash with another football giant from the "city of fashion". Simone Inzaghi certainly doesn't need any more warning than this when it comes to the strength of Feyenoord, but the 0-0 draw with NEC won’t blind him, even though he could see things that Milan didn't capitalize on.

Ahead of his Champions League debut with Feyenoord, Van Persie had plenty of praise for Inter. "This is my first week in Rotterdam as a coach, the feeling is positive. This will be a challenging period for me with many matches, but the players are showing they’re ready. Inter is very strong. They’ve conceded only one goal in the Champions League so far! Their defensive approach is excellent, but they're also great in attack. These are their main strengths, so it will be important for us to show courage. The fans are there too, I hope they will be our 12th player", said Van Persie. An interesting stat is that Feyenoord has lost only one of the last 12 home games in European club competitions against Italian teams. They’ve won seven and drawn four, with the only loss coming from Roma in 2014 (1-2).

Also, Inter can boast of being unbeaten in their last 11 matches against Dutch teams. They have seven wins and four draws, with the last loss to Feyenoord on April 3, 2002 (0-1).

He won’t be able to count on former Red Star player, In-bom Hwang, or on Calvin Stengs, Gernot Trauner, Ayesa Ueda. Also out is goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, and captain Quinten Timber, while Antonio Milambo’s participation is in doubt. Inter arrived in Rotterdam unbeaten in their last three matches, after victories against Genoa (1-0) and Lazio (2-0), followed by a draw in the Napoli derby (1-1).

Coach Simone Inzaghi considers the advantage of the hosts not only due to the atmosphere created by the fans but also because they have a new coach, making it harder to predict what he might do. "They have a physically strong team with a lot of quality. It’s not easy to play at De Kuip; I was there in 2000 with Lazio. It was the quarterfinals of the second group stage. I didn’t face them as a coach, but I know the atmosphere is fiery. They’re a quality team with a good coach. They played well against NEC even though it was 0-0. They’ve already done great things in the Champions League, beating Bayern and eliminating Milan. Yes, we have the return leg, but we must focus on getting a good result in Rotterdam. The first match is very important for progression, so we must play an excellent game. We have some issues, but I see a strong will from every player”, said Inzaghi. Feyenoord was supposed to play Groningen in Eredivisie between the two Inter games, but they requested a postponement, which the Dutch Football Association granted.

“They managed to postpone the match, and I think it was the right thing to do. The Champions League round of 16 is important, so it’s good that Feyenoord did that”, added Inzaghi, who believes other clubs should follow suit. His problem will be the absence of Federico Dimarco, Carlos Augusto, Nikola Zalewski, and Matteo Darmian, meaning Alessandro Bastoni will likely play as a full-back.

"We have a lot of problems in that specific area of the field. With Dimarco out, Zalewski, Augusto, and Darmian are also unavailable, and we have no more players in that position, so Bastoni or Acerbi will have to replace them. Our principles of play won’t change because of this, we’re here to show our best” added Inter strategist.

Markus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu also had problems, as did goalkeeper Yann Sommer. “Thuram has trained normally, so has Calhanoglu. I have some dilemmas in midfield, but I have plenty of options as all players are available. We’ll decide the rest on match day. Sommer had a finger issue, but he’s had two excellent training sessions, and I’m happy with how it went” concluded the Italian coach.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16

First leg

Tuesday

Club Brugge - Aston Villa 1-3 (1-1)

/De Cuyper 12 - Bailey 3, Mechele 82 (og), Asensio 88 pen/

Dortmund - Lille 1-1 (1-0)

/Adeyemi 22 - Haraldsson 68/

PSV - Arsenal 1-7 (1-3)

/Lang 43 - Timber 18, Nwaneri 21, Merino 31, Odegaard 47, 73 Trossard 48, Calafiori/

Real Madrid - Atl. Madrid 2-1 (1-1)

/Rodrygo 4, Diaz 55 - Alvarez 32/

Wednesday

20.45: (5.60) Feyenoord (3.70) Inter (1.65)

23.00: (1.82) Bayern (3.60) Leverkusen (4.40)

23.00: (3.80) Benfica (3.60) Barcelona (1.95)

23.00: (2.45) PSG (3.45) Liverpool (2.80)

***odds are subject to change***