ITALY: INTER MILAN AND PORTO PREPARE FOR THEIR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND SECOND LEG TIE IN MILAN

Record ID: 648043

  • Title: ITALY: INTER MILAN AND PORTO PREPARE FOR THEIR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND SECOND LEG TIE IN MILAN
  • Date: 14th March 2005
  • Summary: MILAN, ITALY (MARCH 14, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. INTER MILAN PLAYERS TRAINING 2. FORWARD CHRISTIAN VIERI DURING TRAINING 3. FORWARD ADRIANO DURING TRAINING 4. VARIOUS OF INTER MILAN PLAYERS TRAINING 5. INTER MILAN CAPTAIN JAVIER ZANETTI CLOSE UP IN TRAINING 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ZANETTI SAYING: "We know that that's a very important moment for both teams and that both teams will try to lead the game. We need to be careful about all the problems that Porto can create for us but also we have to try and impose our game on them." 7. MORE OF INTER MILAN COACH PLAYERS TRAINING 8. INTER MILAN COACH ROBERTO MANCINI DURING TRAINING SESSION 9. MANCINI, SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MANCINI SAYING: "Everyone prepares for each game in his own way. We have great respect for Porto and for what they have done, but there is no doubt that Inter Milan will play this game to win." 11. VARIOUS TRAINING 12. EXTERIOR SAN SIRO STADIUM 13. VARIOUS OF PORTO PLAYERS TRAINING IN THE SAN SIRO (10 SHOTS) Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MILAN, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA4U7T39AANX6E4LGDV2W76YGOV
  • Story Text: Inter Milan and Porto prepare for Tuesday's
    Champions League clash.


    Inter Milan and Porto have had an extra week to
    prepare for Tuesday's Champions League knockout round
    second leg but neither has used it well.

    The first game ended 1-1 in Portugal and the return was
    held over as Inter's city neighbours AC Milan, who share
    the San Siro stadium, were also drawn at home for their
    second-leg match.

    The additional preparation has hardly helped Champions
    League holders Porto, whose coach Jose Couceiro must get
    his players over a 4-0 defeat by Nacional Madeira, their
    worst home loss for 30 years.

    Inter battled to a 1-1 draw at Lazio on Sunday but were
    unimpressive, only getting back into the game after the
    Rome side were reduced to 10 men.

    Inter captain Javier Zanetti said: "We know that
    that's a very important moment for both teams and that both
    teams will try to lead the game. We need to be careful
    about all the problems that Porto can create for us but
    also we have to try and impose our game on them."
    Inter coach Roberto Mancini said: "Everyone prepares
    for each game in his own way. We have great respect for
    Porto and for what they have done, but there is no doubt
    that Inter Milan will play this game to win."
    Inter's entire season hangs on Tuesday's match. They
    are out of the Serie A title race, 16 points behind leaders
    AC Milan, but have reserved their best performances for
    Europe.

    Form is not the only worry for Mancini, with Colombian
    defender Ivan Cordoba and left back Giuseppe Favalli
    suspended.

    Mancini is hoping Marco Materazzi recovers from a nasty
    cut received on Saturday to line up alongside Sinisa
    Mihajlovic in the centre of defence.

    The Inter coach also has worries in attack where
    Nigerian Obafemi Martins and Italy international Christian
    Vieri are struggling for fitness and Uruguayan Alvaro
    Recoba is sidelined.

    Friday's defeat knocked Porto off the top of the Portuguese
    standings and they now lag three points behind
    Benfica.

    Jose Couceiro, Porto's third coach this season, can
    turn to charismatic captain Jorge Costa and Brazilian
    playmaker Diego, who both missed the first match through
    suspension.

    Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano, whose mother was
    kidnapped on Friday in her home town of Campinas, has not
    been included in the travelling squad.


    Team news, statistics and probable line-ups:
    INTER:
    Suspended: Ivan Cordoba, Giuseppe Favalli (both
    one-match bans)
    Injured: Alvaro Recoba (shin)
    Doubtful: Marco Materazzi (head), Christian Vieri
    (knee), Obafemi Martins (back)
    PORTO
    Suspended: None
    Injured: Jose Bosingwa (thigh)
    Doubtful: None
    Probable teams:
    Inter Milan: 1-Francesco Toldo; 13-Ze Maria, 11-Sinisa
    Mihajlovic, 23-Marco Materazzi, 4-Javier Zanetti; 5-Emre
    Belozoglu, 14-Juan Sebastian Veron, 19-Esteban Cambiasso,
    25-Dejan Stankovic; 10-Adriano, 30-Obafemi Martins (or
    32-Christian Vieri)
    Porto: 99-Vitor Baia; 22-Georgios Seitaridis, 5-Ricardo
    Costa, 2-Jorge Costa, 8-Nuno Valente; 33-Raul Meireles,
    18-Maniche Ribeiro, 6-Costinha, 16-Diego; 10-Ricardo
    Quaresma, 77-Benni McCarthy
    Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)
    Head-to-heads
    Played: 1 Draws: 1
    CL: KO 23.02.05 Porto 1 Inter Milan1
    - - Inter have not conceded a goal at home in the
    Champions League this season and have lost just twice in 18
    home games in the competition.

    - - Inter have won six and drawn one of their seven
    home matches against Portuguese opponents.

    - - Porto have lost only two of their last 12 European
    away games, winning four of them and drawing six. They have
    won on two of their last four visits to Italy.

    - - Porto, UEFA Cup winners in 2003 and European
    champions last year, risk being eliminated for the first
    time in three seasons. They had a dismal Champions League
    second group phase in 2001-02, losing four games out of six.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register