While Inter have been celebrating their centenary in the build up to today's crucial Champions League last 16, second leg clash against Liverpool at the San Siro, the visitors will have their own little 100 to celebrate.
Jamie Carragher will become the first Liverpool player to make 100 appearances in European soccer, should he take his usual place at the heart of the defense to help the English side defend a 2-0 lead from the first leg three weeks ago at Anfield.
While on paper Inter look to be the better side, riding high at the top of the Italian league while Liverpool face a fight with city rivals Everton just to finish fourth in the English Premier League, Carragher believes European soccer is tailor made for his team.
"It's a totally different game and we're more suited to it than the Premier League, which is more about power and pace -- and we don't have huge pace," he told the Liverpool club Web site.
"What we do have is a lot of good thinkers, players who know the game. Because it's a bit slower in Europe, it suits us," he said.
Carragher isn't just excited about his 100th appearance, it will also be the first time he runs out at the San Siro.
"I've never played at the San Siro and I am made up about it -- it may be my only chance," he said.
The former England player made his debut for Liverpool in Europe back in September 1997 against Celtic.
"To be the first Liverpool player to get to 100 European appearances is special. The most important thing is trophies but it shows you are doing something right to play that many games," Carragher said.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini admitted he is worried about Liverpool's ability from set-pieces.
Conceding a goal would be disastrous for Inter and despite the fact that the last time the two sides met in European competition Inter overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit to win 3-0 at home, Mancini is not feeling too confident.
"Tuesday will be a special night, one where everything needs to go right," he said. "We have to play with our heads without giving away too many fouls otherwise we risk the possibility of them scoring from a set-piece, which is their main strength."
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
PINA BRACE: Claudia Pina scored in the 61st and 74th minutes, while Vicky Lopez added one as Spain notched their third victory in a final in the past four tournaments Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg. Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday. Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save