The pairings for the playoffs for the round of 16 of the Champions League have been defined: Inter will face the Norwegians Bodo Glimt, Juventus will face Galatasaray and Atalanta will have their toughest match against Borussia Dortmund. All the Italians will return home. The other matches will be Monaco-PSG, Benfica-Real Madrid, Qarabag-Newcastle and Olimpiacos-Leverkusen. Outward journey on 17 and 18 February, return on 24 and 25 February.
Zanetti: “Inter must pay attention to Bodo Glimt”
“Bodo Glimt is a team we have to pay a lot of attention to, they managed to win against Atletico Madrid, we have to prepare them as best we can.” Inter vice president Javier Zanetti declared this to Sky Sport after the draw for the Champions League play-offs where the Nerazzurri will challenge the Norwegians. “Inter want to be protagonists in the Champions League too, we are missing that point with Liverpool, maybe we wouldn’t have been here, but we accept everything, we face this team that is not to be underestimated. Benfica? We could have challenged a great coach like José Mourinho who we know very well, but the draw said Bodo, we’ll see in the rest of this competition. We will take care of all the details, the synthetic pitch can hide pitfalls, it’s never easy, we will prepare for this too. Will there be new faces? Ausilio and Baccin are working, but at the moment Inter is proving to be strong, we want to be competitive both in the league and in the Champions League”, he concluded.
Marino: “Borussia has great experience at European level”
“Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta? The passion that emerges from these two realities is fundamental, we can say that it is the theme song of these two clubs. I would say that in any case it is historic to be here, just look at the top eight, but also those left out, this gives value to our performance. Being on a par with Real Madrid or Inter means that we have done something very important.” The general director of Atalanta declared this to Sky Sport: Umberto Marinoregarding the Champions League play-off draws, where the Bergamo players will challenge Borussia Dortmund. “Borussia has experience at a European level, we will try to bring determination and passion, to face these great teams you need everything, you need 120%. We are a young, fresh team, with some players who have lived the experience of winning the Europa League, but football changes. You always have to be determined and have the desire to get the result and gain that extra meter needed to win the match. We will face them head on.”
Chiellini: “Galatasaray is not just Osimhen”
“Yes I thought about that 2013 match but also about Osimhen, let’s say it’s a good opportunity to erase the memory of that match in Istanbul.” Thus Giorgio Chiellini, speaking to Sky Sport, after the Champions League play-off draw with the Bianconeri who will challenge the Turkish team. “A strong team with great individuality, we will play the second at home so everything doesn’t end in Istanbul, we will have to be good at going there to play the match, to put them in difficulty in their gaps and also be able to limit the great potential and individuality they have in front of them, we know Osimhen, but they have strong players in all departments”, added the director of football strategy of Juventus who still returns to that 2013 defeat in a match played in truly complicated conditions, starting from the pitch. “We lost it, beyond the pitch and it was me who made the decisive mistake, so I feel it regardless of the snow and everything else. But it will be a different match between two completely different teams.”
“We need to respect their quality but also be aware of our strength and what we can do to win. I believe that the position we have in the standings is also determined by the greater strength of our team and whether we manage to play our game… – continues Chiellini -. It will be a balanced challenge, we will play on the details as in every direct clash, but we will have to be mature enough to put in an important performance in Istanbul in the first leg and then reiterate it a week later in Turin in the second leg. Would I like to mark Osimhen? Not now I would have been able to last two minutes, I would have liked to, a couple of times we faced each other, I was in the final part of my career and my physical skills were limited, I had to focus on the mental part. He is a strong striker who attacks the depth like few others and who has a hunger that can be seen in few players, but Galatasaray is not just Osimhen, it is a historic club and there is great respect for them, it is a fascinating challenge, it will be difficult, but also a good test for our progress, we are growing. and we still have everything at stake, there is also the Italian Cup, we will play in Bergamo next week, there are the play-offs, they will be interesting and stimulating weeks.” Having said that Juve have never been on Osimhen not even in the recent past, Chiellini cuts short on the transfer market: “There is no news, there are three days to go and within three days if there is news you will have it.”