Milan ready for Frankfurt fireworks
SECURITY will be beefed up in Milan for today’s visit of Eintracht Frankfurt in an evenly-poised Europa League tie against Inter.
The match at the San Siro is one of the picks of the last 16 secondleg games, which also see Arsenal seeking to overcome a 3-1 deficit when they host French side Rennes.
Following last week’s goalless draw, Frankfurt will have 13,500 fans with tickets travelling to Milan to face an Inter side also gearing up for Sunday’s derby against AC Milan.
Police in Milan will have assistance from German officers for the match amid heightened security after Frankfurt fans rioted in Rome in December before the group game at Lazio. Milan authorities have banned the sale of alcohol in various parts of the city today but Frankfurt said although hundreds of fans are also expected to travel without tickets, there was no reason to expect trouble. Frankfurt, Germany’s last representative in the competition, will have to do without coach Adi Huetter on the touchline as he is serving a ban for kicking a water bottle in the first leg.
“The players must not play for their coach but for Eintracht Frankfurt,” he said, while making Inter slight favourites.
Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who saved a penalty from Marcelo Brozovic in the first leg, said: “It will be an interesting game. Inter have to go forward, and we also have to score a goal to progress. Our situation is fine because we only have to avoid defeat.”
Said Inter winger Matteo Politano: “There are many games. We must prepare for them one at a time. The Thursday game comes first, then we have the derby. It would be great to win the derby but we have to think about a very important European game.”
Striker Mauro Icardi is out pending a contract renewal and a knee injury, while Lautaro Martinez is suspended, which forces Inter boss Luciano Spalletti to field the recovering Keita Balde up front.
Kwadwo Asamoah is suspended in midfield, where Radja Nainggolan, Joao Miranda and possibly Marcelo Brozovic are unavailable.
Elsewhere, Napoli head to Salzburg with a 3-0 lead, Chelsea are also 3-0 up for their trip to Dynamo Kiev, and Villarreal host Zenit St Petersburg with a 3-1 advantage.
Other ties are more evenly poised, with Valencia 2-1 up heading to Russian side Krasnodar without the suspended Dani Parejo and Facundo Roncaglia, or Ezequiel Garay, who has a hamstring problem.
Fellow Spanish side Sevilla are at Slavia Prague after a 2-2 first-leg draw. Coach Pablo Machin said: “We are going to have to suffer. They are a powerful team and we are going to have to fight tooth and nail.”
Benfica have to reverse a 1-0 defeat when they entertain Dinamo Zagreb, while Arsenal will need a strong home showing after their 3-1 defeat at Rennes.
Arsenal will have striker Alexandre Lacazette available after his three-match ban was reduced to two in a boost for manager Unai Emery. But they are without Sokratis Papastathopoulos after the Greek central defender was sent off in the first leg.
“At the moment, we are playing consistent in each match,” Emery said. “We were calm, showed passion and continued improving. We know that, for example, one match (the first leg against Rennes) can change a lot with one red card or goal, so controlling our emotions is very important. We need to keep this consistency in our mind.”
| dpa