Marotta on Inter winning Champions League and Haaland close call at 15

Inter President Beppe Marotta said he believes they can win the Champions League, but reveals how close he came to signing Manchester City star Erling Haaland for Juventus.

It kicks off at the Etihad Stadium at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Bologna-Shakhtar Donetsk on the LIVEBLOG.

The last time these teams met was in Istanbul for the 2023 Champions League Final, where missed opportunities were the cause of much regret, capitulating to a lone Rodri goal.

Did Inter or Marotta rewatch that game to prepare for this one?

“No, that is part of the past,” the President told Sky Sport Italia and Amazon Prime Video Italia.

“We learned the right lessons from that defeat. The context is different today, we are in front of their home crowd, it is the opening game of the season in this new format. We must face City with the right strength of character.

“The team is more mature now, we have since won the Scudetto.”

Does that mean Marotta believes Inter can win the Champions League?

“Yes.”

Marotta trusts Inter can triumph

Simone Inzaghi surprised many by leaving Lautaro Martinez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench this evening, starting Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski, who both arrived as free agents this summer.

“Games last 95-100 minutes nowadays, so who better than Inzaghi can make these decisions? These are evaluations that the coach has to make based on tactical and physical considerations.

“Let’s not forget that Lautaro played the whole Copa America with Argentina this summer and then went on international duty again. We have a very competitive squad, it should not be news if one or another player is starting.”

The danger man for Manchester City is Haaland, but Marotta again confirmed he had been close to signing the Norway international for Juventus many years ago.

“It’s true, he was suggested to us when he was still in Norway. He was only 15 years old and we invited him to attend Juventus-Inter. We were very close, then some red tape issues got in the way.”

It has been a tricky start to the season for Inter, who played two home wins in Serie A and two away draws in Genoa and Monza.

Marotta was the CEO of the club up until June, when he was promoted to President after Suning lost control to Oaktree over an unpaid loan.

“We managers have been able to work well over the years, building a competitive squad with the current and former club owners. That is satisfying.”