Inter Milan will once again be without Nicolo Barella when they face Liverpool in the Champions League as they get set to travel to Anfield.
The Serie A champions won 5-0 on Sunday, beating Salernitana thanks to a hattrick from Lautaro Martinez and a brace from Edin Dzeko but Nicolo Barella’s creativity and industry was a feature throughout.
The Italian has 2 goals and 10 assists this season, repaying his club’s faith after he was handed a fresh contract, taking his annual salary to €5million which equates to around €416,000/month.
As was reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport before the first leg, Barella will not be eligible for selection for the second leg either and his absence will be felt keenly by Simone Inzaghi’s outfit.
While they may have had 9 shots against Liverpool, they failed to test Alisson, as not a single strike was on target and Barella’s absence was a huge factor in the Serie A side appearing rather toothless despite their intense pressure on the Reds’ defensive third.
Without the 25-year-old, Inter lack the final ball to cut teams apart as demonstrated by his brace of assists against Salernitana.
Of course, it’s not fair to compare the bottom-placed side in Italy’s top flight to Liverpool, who are breathing down Manchester City’s neck in the Premier League and are fresh off a Carabao Cup triumph.
That said, it’s plain to see how important Barella is to Inter Milan and it’s fortunate that the Reds will not have to contend with his brilliance at all across the two ties as he’d undoubtedly have a major role to play otherwise.
He’s ineligble for selection after his red card in the final game of the group stages vs. Real Madrid saw him handed a two-match ban after he punched Eder Militao’s leg.
