Leipzig in misleading Champions League position, says Inter’s Inzaghi

Fifth-placed Inter, who has 10 points from four games, hosts strugglers Leipzig, who is 32nd in the 36-team standings and one of five teams still without a point so far.

FILE PHOTO: Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

RB Leipzig’s lowly position in the Champions League table does not reflect its performances, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said before the sides meet at the San Siro on Tuesday.

Fifth-placed Inter, who has 10 points from four games, hosts strugglers Leipzig, who is 32nd in the 36-team standings and one of five teams still without a point so far.

“Leipzig are a team that has been in the Champions League for six years and until Saturday they had the best defence in the Bundesliga,” Inzaghi told a press conference on Monday.

“In the four Champions League matches they have played they deserved more, they have only clearly lost against Celtic.

“They have a coach (Marco Rose) who has been there for many years, they have many quality players and the ranking does not reflect their performances in Europe. We know that we are facing a strong team”.

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Leipzig, who is third in the Bundesliga after losing 4-3 at Hoffenheim on Saturday, kicked off its European campaign with a 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid and home defeats by Juventus (3-2) and Liverpool (1-0). They lost 3-1 at Celtic last time out.

Inter is on a three-game winning run in Europe’s elite club competition with wins over Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys and Arsenal after its opening draw at Manchester City.

“We always have to work harder, this positive moment is the best to push and improve even more,” Inzaghi said after his side’s 5-0 win at Verona in Serie A on Saturday.

“We always try to see where we can do better. On Saturday in Verona we scored five goals in one half, but we saw where we made some mistakes that could have cost us dearly.

“Last year it was one thing, this year it’s different. Both in the league and in the Champions League there are many pitfalls.”

Inter, who won the Scudetto last season and was Champions League runners-up in 2023, is third in Serie A, one point behind champions Napoli and levels with second-placed Atalanta.

Midfielder Davide Frattesi is likely to miss the Leipzig clash but Inzaghi will hope to have injured midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and unwell forward Lautaro Martinez available.

“Frattesi has been having a little problem with his ankle for 10 days. It will have to be evaluated. Yesterday it gave him some problems and today he didn’t feel at his best,” Inzaghi said.

“Calhanoglu and Lautaro, absent in Verona, had two good training sessions yesterday and today. Tomorrow morning I will evaluate the lineup.”

Calhanoglu was substituted at halftime in Turkey’s match against Wales on Nov. 16 with a muscle issue while Martinez, who scored in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru, fell sick as he returned from international duty.