Claudio said there is a story behind every champion, whether it is easy or difficult we have to play with all the team in the tournament. In the same way Del Neri said, Inter and Roma will be facing in the fifth week which will be very interesting as both teams’ wishes to win the title.

Milan’s manager Allegri said, the opening matches are very important as many new teams have entered the tournament but we have to play with power and passion. Rafael Benitez who is new to Inter said, there are two important games which are against Roma and Juventus, we have to be ready to play with any team which is on the list and start the playing matches positively.

The team after reaching the final of Champions League in 2006 and a year later in League Cup lost had failed to get the title. Even there is criticisms about the manager that he has not spend money to get more players, but Clichy expects that the team has got some young players who can get the title this time.

He also said that a few years ago I heard that the team has to end its poor performance and start winning the matches but it still remains the same. We are always not far from the victory but end of the season we stay on the losing side. The team was 11 points behind from Chelsea in last years Premier League last season finishing third.

In an interview, Vermaelen added ‘The team’s spirit is very good. There are many young players who are very aggressive and want to improve’. The Belgian defender who debut at the Emirates in the last season really feels that the Arsenal are all set to get the title in the upcoming season.

There is a lot of criticism about the Managers control over the team for a long period of 5 yrs which has affected the teams performance, but the Arsenal defender is not worried about all this critics. Arsenal have started well by playing 2 games and scored 7 goals against Sturm Graz and Barnet in the pre-season preparations for the next Premier League season.

Maradona explained about his visit to Venezuela on the stage in Caracas with Chavez. Maradona said, he had come to Venezuela to have some good advice from my friend Hugo and not to find a job here. There will be a discussion about my future on Monday as there is a meeting with Julio head of AFA, he added.

Maradona is also a very good friend of Fidel Castro and also had been an analyst of American imperialism. He said i will always stay with the president side until he dies as he really works and fights for the people of his country.

Chavez expressed his feelings as he said, ‘In the next World Cup Venezuela are going there, and Argentina finishing champions’, with his own praising words. Then the conference was completed by the head of state with usual war cry to the people of Venezuelan with some added honours to the guests. It said, ‘Viva socialism, viva the homeland, viva sports, viva Maradona’.

We already said Juventus director wanted Edin Dzeko, but we posted also the press from director of Wolfsburg, he’s not for sale. It’s not only that, Krasic is also closer to Atletico Madrid then Juventus – and the director of Juve said they’ll try to bring him too.

Other news:
- Mallorca will not play in Europa cup, because of financial crisis – official UEFA statement
- Arsenal’s goalkeeper Almunia want’s to leave for Atletico Madrid after Arsen Wenger pulled him of the friendly match
- Newcastle: We don’t need Raul
- Villa: I want triplete, to win La Liga, Champions league and derby agains’t Real Madrid

Interfanzone.com bring us full interview of ex Liverpool coach:

“I want to thank Inter for this opportunity, and the fans too, who immediately welcomed me with affection. I am very pleased and proud to be here,” said Benitez, who sat alongside Inter chief executive Ernesto Paolillo, vice managing director Stefano Filucchi and technical director Marco Branca.

“It wasn’t easy to leave Liverpool, but the situation has changed and I needed to move,” explained Benitez. “I had the perfect opportunity with Inter, a massive club, and I’m really pleased to be here. Inter is a fantastic club. They did very well this year and we will see if we can keep this level next season.

“I have been in contact with 95 percent of my ex-players. I thanked them for everything and they wished me luck. Gerrard? I spoke to him on his birthday and for now he only wants to talk about the World Cup.

“Everything is fine, the relationship with my old players is very good. The club was fantastic and the fans were amazing so it was a sad day when I had to go, but things changed so I had to do it. Now I am here in a new club and I am very pleased to be here.”

Benitez has joined treble-winning Inter in the sign of continuity and he hopes to repeat what was achieved by José Mourinho’s team last season. “With the club I have to talk and analyse the future,” he said. “Mourinho did a great job here but I’m a different coach. I hope to be successful here and try to win some titles. The main thing is to keep the team’s mentality and try to win some titles. We will see at the end of the year if I have been successful or not.

“Will there be any new players? Yes, I think so. I hope to buy good players, of a good level. The mentality is to win by playing well, and playing well depends on the players you have. The players here are good. They like playing good football and winning. We have so many high level players and Maicon, for example, is one of them. I wish all of our players at the World Cup the best of luck, including Maicon, who is important for us. I have to talk to the club about the transfer market. Samuel Eto’o? He sacrificed himself a lot for Inter last season. He is a good and intelligent player and I am sure he will make the same sacrifices again next year if needed.”

Benitez was asked if he shares the opinion of Diego Maradona that Cambiasso and Mascherano can’t play in the same team. He replied: “Maradona is the coach of the Argentina national team. Cambiasso is a top-level player for me. I am happy to have him here with us. Of these two players, he’s the only one we have.

“Coutinho? We have spoken about him. He’s young and he’s a good player. Balotelli? He’s a quality player and he’s important. I’m pleased he’s with us. Obviously I haven’t worked with him yet and the same goes for the other players.”

Replying to a question about past rumours of a move to Juventus, Benitez said: “I have no memory of this right now. There is a lot of talk in football, but ultimately the most important thing is actually joining a club. I have done this with Inter and I am very happy. This is the important thing.

“I think that after two years you will know me better. I like working hard and pushing my players. As for training sessions, we will obviously do closed training sessions because it’s important for the other teams not to see what we do, but there will be the occasional open session because it’s good for the team to feel the support of the fans.”

“A club’s identity has nothing to do with nationality. The club’s identity is never going to change and the footballing identity is something I will develop with my players. I don’t want to speak of players because when Real Madrid’s coach speaks about a player, that player’s price goes up €10 million more. I am happy with the basic squad from last year and we don’t need dramatic changes, just three or four players to make a team with better chances of adapting to an ideal style of play. It will not be a summer to write about new signings at Real Madrid; I think it will be a bit more calm.”

Unique achievement will not simply lay at the feet of the players of each squad. Coaches Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, who are student and mentor respectively, can both join an elite group of trainers who have guided two different teams to success in the most illustrious of club competitions. Put quite simply, history is on the line in Madrid, fittingly the city most closely associated with the European Cup. (Source)

Crowning Glory

Inter have been the dominant force in Serie A since the middle part of the 2000s, but despite supremacy in one of the continent’s toughest leagues, continental success has wholly eluded the Nerazzurri over the course of almost 50 years. Back-to-back European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965 are relics of a bygone age, and ‘the Big Eared Cup’ is desired more than any other at La Pinetina.

With the Serie A crown and the Coppa Italia already safely on display in Inter’s burgeoning trophy cabinet, all that remains to cap a phenomenal season is a win on Saturday.

The path to the final has not been easy for the Beneamata. Pitted against Barcelona in the group stages, Mourinho’s men needed a final day success over Rubin Kazan to see off the Russian champions and Dynamo Kyiv to claim the second qualifying berth from a potentially awkward pool.

It was in the knockout stages where Inter truly began to flourish. A reunion with former club Chelsea provided Mourinho with a chance to showcase the Italian side’s title-winning credentials, with a 2-1 home success followed up by a textbook 1-0 victory in London. CSKA Moscow provided stubborn but ultimately toothless opposition in the quarter-finals as the Nerazzurri recorded a couple of 1-0 victories, before a rematch with Barcelona.

After falling 1-0 down in the opening leg, it seemed a case of business as usual for the reigning champions, but Inter gritted their teeth and raised their level to claim a memorable 3-1 victory at San Siro. The second leg at Camp Nou proved to be a tactical masterclass from Mourinho and his Beneamata squad. Only in the closing stages of the match did Barca truly threaten to overturn the two goal deficit, but the Catalans’ brilliant attacking unit couldn’t fathom a method by which to break down ten-man Inter twice.

Having already led Porto to Champions League success in 2004, Mourinho stands potentially only 90 minutes shy of repeating the feat with Inter, quite possibly ending an eventful spell in Italy by claiming the club game’s crowning glory.

Slow Starters, Strong Finishers

The 2009-10 campaign hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Bayern Munich, but after settling down following a poor start to the campaign, FCB can justifiably approach Saturday’s final with genuine hope of success.

The early weeks of Bundesliga play suggested that die Roten may struggle to adapt to Louis van Gaal’s methods as the newly appointed boss presided over only five victories in the opening 13 games of the season.

Europe was proving to be equally hard on the Bavarians, who lost twice to Girondins de Bordeaux and travelled to face Juventus on matchday 6 of the group stage knowing that only a win or a high scoring draw would be enough to preserve their status in the continent’s biggest club competition. Having already shown some improvement domestically, the match on December 8 proved a watershed for FCB’s campaign as they recovered from 1-0 down to record a fantastic 4-1 success.

With Van Gaal’s side starting to pick up results regularly at home, they were ready to flourish abroad. A controversial goal from Miroslav Klose gave die Roten the edge over Fiorentina heading into the second leg of the round of 16 tie, but it took a miraculous strike from Arjen Robben in Florence to ultimately send the Germans through on the away goals rule.

Robben was the hero in the quarter-finals against Manchester United, thundering home a remarkable volley at Old Trafford to act as the differentiating factor in a see-saw tie. After only a couple of minutes of the first leg, Wayne Rooney had the Red Devils ahead, but Franck Ribery and Ivica Olic turned that tie late. When United moved into a 3-0 advantage in England the contest seemed over, but a red card to Rafael and a goal late in the first half set the scene for Dutch ace Robben to again intervene spectacularly as time ticked away.

By comparison, the semi-final against Olympique Lyonnais was a routine affair. The French side rarely looked in the same class as their opponents, and after winning the first leg 1-0 – Robben inevitably the scorer – Olic took centre stage at Stade Gerland by scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 rout.

Oozing with confidence after picking up the Bundesliga a fortnight ago and the DFB Pokal last Saturday, Bayern aim to complete a remarkable hat-trick by defeating Inter and thereby claiming a fifth European crown; an achievement that would equal the efforts of Liverpool.

FORM GUIDE

Inter

WON 1-0 (a) Siena (Serie A, May 16)

WON 4-3 (h) Chievo (Serie A, May 9)

WON 1-0 (n) Roma (Coppa Italia, May 5)

WON 2-0 (a) Lazio (Serie A, May 2)

LOST 1-0 (a) Barcelona (Champions League, April 28)

Bayern Munich

WON 4-0 (n) Werder Bremen (DFB Pokal, May 15)

WON 3-1 (a) Hertha (Bundesliga, May 8 )

WON 3-1 (h) Bochum (Bundesliga, May 1)

WON 3-0 (a) Olympique Lyonnais (Champions League, April 27)

DREW 1-1 (a) Borussia Moenchengladbach (Bundesliga, April 24)

TEAM NEWS

Inter

Davide Santon’s injury-plagued 2010 campaign will continue as the young full-back will miss out on a berth in Inter’s squad due to injury. Ivan Cordoba is doubtful, while Wesley Sneijder had to be replaced in the recent league encounter against Siena due to cramps, though the offensive midfielder is fully expected to feature on Saturday.

Thiago Motta is banned after being sent-off in Barcelona.

Jose Mourinho will likely deploy his squad in a 4-3-3 formation, with the major question being whether he selects mercurial youngster Mario Balotelli in attack, or plumps with Goran Pandev instead.

Probable Starting XI: Cesar; Maicon, Samuel, Lucio, Zanetti; Stankovic, Sneijder, Cambiasso; Eto’o, Milito, Pandev

Bayern Munich

There has been a great furore caused by the German club over Franck Ribery’s suspension, but after appeals to both UEFA and the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), the ban has been upheld and the Frenchman won’t play any role. Instead, Hamit Altintop will likely feature on the left hand side of the midfield.

With no injury problems to speak of, coach Louis van Gaal will otherwise boast a full panel of players, with the only position in question seemingly the left-back role, where Holger Badstuber or the less experienced Diego Contento, who is more naturally gifted in that role, could feature.

Probable Starting XI: Butt; Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber; Robben, Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Altintop; Mueller, Olic

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter

Wesley Sneijder was on the books of Real Madrid 12 months ago. Shunted out the door of the Bernabeu to make way for a raft of signings designed to lead los Blancos to the Champions League, the 25-year-old Dutchman has instead powered Inter back to his former home ground, with los Merengues long eliminated. The attacking midfielder, who is 137th in the Castrol Rankings, has played a pivotal role in Inter’s campaign, with three crucial goals in the Beneamata’s European run to date. Dangerous from free kicks and with an ability to pick out seemingly impossible passes, he will have to be closely policed.

Bayern Munich

Arjen Robben, another player to be employed by Real Madrid only a year past, has acted as the talisman for his side’s progression deep into the Champions League. The Dutchman has shown an unerring eye for goal at crucial times, shouldering the burden of Franck Ribery’s frequently injury-enforced absences. With the Frenchman banned from Saturday’s fixture, the onus will once again be on the Bedum-born ace to come up with the offensive goods. At times this season the player rated 10 in the Castrol Rankings has been unplayable.

PREDICTION

There can be little doubt that Inter have had to pick their way through the hardest sector of the draw, and to that end they should start the match as favourites. Though the match-up between Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal is fascinating, the Portuguese has the greater strength in depth to his squad, with Inter’s defensive nous likely to make the difference in a tactical affair.

Inter 2-0 Bayern Munich

The Coach made his final appearance on the Tardini bench, while Livorno waved goodbye to Serie A. Cristiano Lucarelli’s loan spell is over, but he was unable to play against his former club due to an injury. Livorno’s treatment room was packed with Leonardo Miglionico, Nelson Rivas, Francesco Tavano, Dario Knezevic, Antonio Filippini, Moro, Andrea Esposito and Nico Pulzetti. Parma were without Damiano Zenoni and Massimo Paci, but welcomed back Blerim Dzemaili and Luis Jimenez from suspension.

Debutant goalkeeper Bardi palmed away a Jonathan Biabiany curler, which Valiani was unable to make the most of. Zaccardo knocked the ball down for Davide Lanzafame, but again Parma were not quick enough to react.

Livorno lost Fabio Galante to a calf problem early on, giving Ossou his debut. Alessandro Lucarelli’s volley was off target and Antonio Mirante had his palms stung by Prutsch.

Mirante was a little less impressive when batting Raimondi’s header off the line, while Biabiany then burst forward and wasted a counter-attack.

Parma finally found a way through in first half stoppages. Davide Lanzafame’s shot with the outside of his right foot took a decisive deflection off Ossou to beat Bardi into the far bottom corner.

Lanzafame completed his brace 38 seconds after the restart. He rushed forward through the middle and unleashed a sudden blockbuster that whizzed past Bardi’s outstretched hand at the far post.

Ex-Livorno midfielder Stefano Morrone made it 3-0 moments later, as he exchanged passes outside the box to drive low at the base of the near upright.

It was almost four, as Hernan Crespo just failed to get the final touch to a free kick and Zaccardo nodded it wide.

The Amaranto got a consolation goal when a corner kick was not cleared effectively for Tomas Danilevicius to bundle over the line from six yards.

Crespo got his goal in stoppages and was visibly moved at the farewell to the Tardini. Valeri Bojinov rolled across and he had all the time to pick his spot low at the near post.