When the round of 16 draw took place in December, the stars aligned and handed Inter an improbable rematch of last year’s final. But in truth, it is only a rematch in name; over the past nine months, both teams have undergone many changes.
Absent from the Inter line-up on Wednesday will be Diego Milito, who scored both goals in last year’s 2-0 final victory. The Argentine striker is sidelined by a hamstring injury, but even if fit, he might not have made Leonardo’s starting line-up. Under the Brazilian coach, Samuel Eto’o, who played in a wide role in Jose Mourinho’s treble-winning team, has assumed the role of main goal getter and led all scorers with six goals in the group stage.
In part due to necessity caused by injuries in defence, Inter have shed the defence-first qualities of Mourinho’s team and become quite a proficient attacking force. While they have only kept two clean sheets since Leonardo took over in December, Inter have scored 27 goals in 11 matches, and won nine matches. Their offensive stance has yielded rewards; Leonardo’s record as coach has to date exceeded that of Mourinho, and Inter have rapidly moved up the Serie A table to third place. Of course, Leonardo’s Inter have yet to be tested in Europe and Wednesday’s match will serve as a form check.
The coach nonetheless believes that his team will draw on its pedigree and play the part of defending champions.
“This team are the reigning champions, and we can fight against any team,” he told reporters in a pre-match press conference. “We will play like a champion team.”
Bayern Not Out For Vengeance
Bayern, too, have changed since last year’s final. With 30 scorer points in his last 22 matches, Mario Gomez has more than filled in for injured striker Ivica Olic, and skipper Mark van Bommel has been ousted as Louis van Gaal prepares for the future with Toni Kroos in a holding midfield role. Thomas Kraft has replaced Hans-Joerg Butt in goal, Holger Badstuber has slid into central defence, and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Luiz Gustavo have gained starting roles on the back line.
In function, however, Bayern are not very different now than they were a year ago. In terms of tactics, the Bavarians, whose ball possession in the 2009-10 Champions League was only exceeded by Barcelona, have opted to sacrifice time on the ball in favour of faster passing. Otherwise, Bayern play with the same aggressive, possession-based system typical of Van Gaal.
While Bayern struggled during the first half of the season, the return to form and fitness of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery has left the four-time European champions in fine form heading into Wednesday’s match; as they seek an away goal, Bayern will take comfort in their record of 11 consecutive matches with at least one tally on the scoresheet.
Die Roten are geared up for their match with Inter, but ahead of the match, Van Gaal stressed that his side will not be out for vengeance.
“This match is not about revenge for us. We just want to win this game, regardless of last year.”
TEAM NEWS
Inter
On Tuesday, reports from Italy revealed that Goran Pandev will be dropped to the bench and Inter will adopt a 4-3-2-1 formation. Lucio is set to make his return in central defence at the expense of Andrea Ranocchia, while Wesley Sneijder will also make Leonardo’s starting XI after being rested last weekend.
Probable Starting XI: Cesar – Maicon, Lucio, Cordoba, Chivu – Zanetti, Cambiasso, Thiago Motta – Sneijder, Stankovic – Eto’o
Bayern Munich
Van Gaal has never been one to make any drastic changes, but last weekend he had left back Luiz Gustavo swap positions with holding midfielder Danijel Pranjic, and used four different central defenders. Reports from Germany indicate that the Brazilian will start alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger in central midfield, while the Croat will play on the left of defence. Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Holger Badstuber are most likely to start as centre halves.
Probable Starting XI: Kraft – Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber, Pranjic – Schweinsteiger, Luiz Gustavo – Robben, Mueller, Ribery – Gomez
Prediction
Given the poor performance of both defences in recent months, there will be goals. If Bayern score early, there will be many; if Inter are on the board first, expect the hosts to close up shop soon. A variety of outcomes are possible, but ultimately, the result will come down to execution at critical moments.
Inter Milan 2-2 Bayern Munich 
