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Extended Clip - Champions League Last16 Draw Reaction: Inter v Atletico, Napoli v Barcelona, Lazio v Bayern (Ep.386)
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After the Round Of Last 16 clashes in the Champions League as well as the Europa League play-off clashes were drawn, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss and analyze Inter Milan, Lazio, Napoli, AC Milan and Roma's chances in the knockout stages in the European competitions.
This is an extended clip from this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
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Transcript
Champions League Draw Overview
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Let's move on and talk about the Champions League last 16 draw, which was done just about an hour ago, since we were recording this early afternoon on
00:00:19
Speaker
on Monday. So I'll read out the eight fixtures. It's not been a great draw for the Italian teams. Porto versus Arsenal, Napoli, Barcelona, PSG, Real Socio Dad, Inter, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio versus Bayern Munich, Copenhagen, Man City, Leipzig, Real Madrid. The Italian teams will play the first legs at home because they were their runners up in their group. So let's go through this one by one.
Inter vs. Atletico Madrid Analysis
00:00:45
Speaker
Let's start with Inter then, Atletico Madrid.
00:00:48
Speaker
How do you feel about that, Nemer? On paper, it's a 50-50. Some would say maybe into our slight favorites. I wouldn't. I'd say it's a 50-50 game. Atletico Madrid are no mugs. And Cholo Simeone, they're a gritty side, Atletico. And they're a difficult side to break down. And inter-struggle against gritty sides.
00:01:15
Speaker
They have a lot of talent in that team, Griezmann, Morata. Morata is having the season of his lifetime, Griezmann has been excellent. Saul, Coquet, Llorente, De Paul, they have Jan-O Blak, fantastic goalkeeper. They are a good side, it's going to be difficult for
00:01:37
Speaker
for Inter and I would have preferred Inter to play to be drawn with Man City, like I said on Monday, for the reasons I outlined on the Monday pod. But of course,
00:01:49
Speaker
You know, this is going to be played in February-March, so we're quite a bit away from that. So we don't know how both of these teams go into these games. But on paper, it's one of the better draws Inter could have gotten. I mean, because obviously Bayern Munich would have been a nightmare, because I think they're the strongest side left in the Champions League.
00:02:08
Speaker
Arsenal City are all you know yeah I mean the positive way of looking this is Inter have missed the big big big guns so they've missed whatever you want to say about Man City you know you've missed you don't want to hate Man City you don't want to play Real Madrid you don't want to play Bayern Munich and you probably want to miss Arsenal as well so you've missed the kind of like the four teams that you really don't want to play so you're really you know the the only on paper we're talking about just on paper the only better draw I think that on paper
00:02:37
Speaker
Inter could have got was probably Bruce your Dortmund. Yeah,
Napoli's Challenge Against Barcelona
00:02:40
Speaker
so in that sense, that's the positive way of looking at it You know, but the negative is that you know, it's the kind of team that
00:02:49
Speaker
they're going to play smart tactically. They're not going to leave the spaces in behind, which are so good at exploiting. So it's going to be tricky from that point of view. And like you said, Griezmann and Morata have been on fire this season. They've been really, really good. No, they have quality players. They have a quality midfield, Atletico Madrid, and they have a coach who
00:03:10
Speaker
who is always prepared tactically. But I think Simona should approach this game the same way he approached the Napoli game away, the same way he approached maybe City in the Champions League final as well. If he does that and basically
00:03:26
Speaker
the you know because i don't think this is going to be a high scoring effect i think it's going to be very tight and if you can be ruthless then yeah then then the good thing is that i feel like intercom matched athletes go out physically now that's that's for sure and that's where i'd let it go physically and mentally athletico is so good physically and mentally and i feel like that's what i was saying before about how complete insura i feel like that they can
00:03:51
Speaker
They can match them there. They've got the experience. Get into the final. They've got the physical, powerful players. They can match them on set pieces. We know how dangerous that letter card set pieces. So I feel like they can match them. They can match that letter code strengths. And then I feel like they've got the extra quality to be better. They've got better quality than that letter code. So yeah.
00:04:11
Speaker
And two former teammates at Lazio playing each other, Simeone having played at Inter, Lautaro having already done a medical design for Atletico before signing for Inter. I mean, there's lots of talking points. Yeah, lots of subplots. Let's move on to the other two. Let's start off with Napoli. Napoli against Barcelona. I'm not sure how to feel about this one because I feel like, again with Napoli, I think I said the other day before the draw that the way that Napoli are playing now,
00:04:40
Speaker
I would back every other team to beat Napoli over two legs, the way that Napoli have been this season, the form that they're in, the way they're playing. But, you know, two months is a long time. So we hope that Napoli are better. But I also did also add that Barcelona are also really struggling this season. They're not playing well.
00:04:58
Speaker
There's a lot of, you know, Javi's under a lot of pressure. Robert Lewandowski is starting to look, he looked his age now, Robert Lewandowski. He's not looking like the same Lewandowski. I'm not going to write, they're going to write him off, but he's not looking like the same Robert Lewandowski. And, you know, the Barcelona defense looks like it has, it can concede goals. And when you've got two world class attackers. So, you know, I'm trying to be optimistic.
00:05:27
Speaker
What do you think? My biggest concern is what it's been all season and that is...
00:05:33
Speaker
I just think that, with Rudy Garcia, now we're all so much sorry, I just think they're ex-coaches and I don't trust them against anyone. That's my issue. I think you're right. I think your concerns that you're raising are true and valid. I tweeted out my dream draw and I had Napoli against Barcelona because I think Napoli have the quality to hurt this Barcelona. I really do think so.
00:05:57
Speaker
come into that game with confidence and they need to come into that game with Osimeng Fritscha, Raspadori all on fire and wanting to do this. They have to put all the negativity and nonsense on one side and try to win a few couple of games and build a winning streak in the Serie A to be in a more comfortable position in the league and then go into that. I think this is 51-49 for Barcelona. I think this is a very evenly game.
00:06:25
Speaker
match the match tie and I think Napoli have every chance to go through I really do think so it's going to be very exciting I think we're going to see lots of goals but it's I give Napoli a very good chance to go through for me it's almost 50-50 slight advantage for Barcelona
00:06:44
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not sure I'm as positive as you are, but let's just hope that Napoli can turn things around. If they play like they do this season,
Lazio's Tough Task Against Bayern Munich
00:06:55
Speaker
I don't give them any chance. Finally though, one thing that we certainly can't give it any chance or we can't even give a hope in hell really of them going through.
00:07:04
Speaker
It's Lazio against Bayern Munich. The question here isn't really who's going through it. It's how many goals are Bayern Munich going to win by? Unfortunately. Let me put it to you this way. Even if Lazio, because the first leg will be played at the Stadio Limpico in Rome, where we've had magical nights before, even if Lazio win by a goal, 1-0, or two goals, by some miracle at the Olimpico, Bayern is going to rip them apart at home.
00:07:30
Speaker
Like it's just Bayern Munich at home and the second leg are just another animal. You need to have at least three goal lead going into the in a tie with that when you play them away because the way that they just the machine. I mean, I know they struggle in the Bundesliga and they feel like they're playing at 50 percent of their potential. But it's I just look at them and I just
00:07:54
Speaker
This is literally the worst draw that Latio could have gotten. Literally the worst draw. And it ends here. But it's been a good run for Latio. They got through. They've done what we could ask of them. I hope that they can make their fans happy in the first leg at home at the Stadio Limpico and maybe get a result there. But then a way to Bayern. Like you said, the question is not if Bayern go through. The question is by how many goals?
00:08:24
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. Right. Okay. I do have to say the English team's got got two, two great drawers and they managed to get Copenhagen. I mean, I mean, you just got in just calm. You just can't make it up. Can you man city? When's the last time man city ever had a hard draw in these in these knockout early knockout? They always seem to get the group
00:08:44
Speaker
stage even. And Arsenal got Porto. Porto always are nasty. They're kind of like a mini Atletico Madrid. But yeah, I mean, it's again, looking at the other teams in the draw, Arsenal are going to be very happy with that. Europa League draw.
Europa League Playoffs: Italian Teams' Fate
00:09:02
Speaker
Two Italian teams in this. This is for the playoff rounds. The teams that finished second in the Europa League was playing against the teams that finished third in the Champions League.
00:09:12
Speaker
So Milan have got red, Milan coming down from the Champions League, and Roma have got Firenord. Now, Roma-Firenord, I mean, these two teams, they play each other every single year. This is the third. This is the 21-22 season. It's the fifth knockout stage game between Firenord and Roma. They played in the conference league final. They played last year, I think it was in Europa League. Quarterfinal, yeah. Quarterfinal, yeah. And then now again in the playoff round.
00:09:39
Speaker
And it's always been toxic, and they absolutely don't like each other. And the question is not if Mourinho gets sent off, the question is when Mourinho gets sent off in this game. And in which one of the legs? I can't wait for the pre-match press conference. What's his name, the manager of Fire North? Because I remember he was having a go at Mourinho, so he doesn't like the football he plays and everything.
00:10:05
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's not a great draw, though, because fine are good. I was really impressed with them against Atletico Madrid in the first game. They deserve to win that game. And then and then they played against Lazio, the hammered Lazio in Holland. And then they were
00:10:23
Speaker
they didn't deserve to lose at the Sadio Limpico. They deserved at least a draw in that game. So I think it's going to be difficult. It's going to be a difficult game, but obviously the fact that Roma probably had the psychological advantage having won those games. As for Milan,
00:10:38
Speaker
Ren are having a disastrous season. They're fighting against relegation. They're really good last season. They're fighting against relegation and they're fourth from bottom in Lika. So, again, like Napoli, if it's the Ren that are playing now, then you're picking Milan every day of the week. But if it's an improved Ren, it could be a little bit more difficult.
00:10:57
Speaker
At Solanta are already in the last 16 drugs, they won their group and the same is the case for Fiorentina in the conference league as well, they don't play. So we won't know who they're playing in the last 16 until the next playoff round fixtures are played.