Europe » Champions League

Diego Milito: I Want To Face Lionel Messi In Barcelona-Inter

With the countdown to the outstanding clash of the round in the Champions league between Barcelona and Internazionale truly underway, the Inter striker Diego Milito has been giving his thoughts on the game

Nov 23, 2009 9:23:17 PM

Diego Milito is on the prowl for Inter (Grazia Neri)

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Diego Milito is on the prowl for Inter (Grazia Neri)

Teams

Inter Milan

It'ss a game with so much to offer that it's almost a quandary to know where to begin. It could only be Barcelona - Inter.

The obvious starting place is the return of the player who built his own legend at the Camp Nou, Samuel Eto'o. The striker, who is the third highest goalscorer in the history of the Blaugrana, has nothing to prove to anyone. Yet the manner of his departure from Barca will warrant some kind of response from the Cameroon international. But according to his Argentine strike partner at Inter, Diego Milito, the Indominatble Lion remains calm in the build up to Tuesday's storm.

"Samuel is very relaxed at the moment. Obviously for him to play aginst Barcelona is a big game. For all the years that he has been here and for all the things that he has won in this club, its going to be a very special game for him, but I think he is going to enjoy it," said Milito at a Monday press conference.

"And I think that the fans are going to receive him in the way he deserves, because he has been a great player."

The other great talking point in the build up is the 'will-he-or-won't-he' debate concerning Leo Messi. The young Argentine is recovering from a leg muscle injury suffered against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and is said to be uncertain to take part.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admits a final decision won't be made until the day of the game itself, stating that until then its hard to call it one way or the other. Milito seems genuinely disappointed that his fellow countryman may not take the field.

"We all know the significance of Leo and the great player that he is. He is a determined player for Barcelona and I am disappointed that he may not start because of an injury. This will be a big blow for him because he is a great person, but I also don't think it will change too much the way we approach the game if Leo is there or not," Milito went on to say.

"He is one of the best players in the world and I mean it when I say it will be a real disappointment if he can't take part in such a game as this."

Away from the protagonists, it's the form of the two teams that draws attention. After a weekend in which Barca threw away their lead at the top of La Liga to rivals Real Madrid, Inter continued with their imperious run in Serie A. Milito was on target in their 3-1 win away at Bologna on Saturday, making it six wins out of the last seven in the league.

"Yeah, we are in a great moment as a collective and the the team can take advantage of this," he said. "I think that we are playing some great games and we are very attacking in our outlook. I think this is key for us in scoring so many goals. We are happy and hope to continue in this way that will allow us to score in many more games. "

But given the problems that have hit their opponents, a combination of swine flu and injuries, does Milito feel that this is a different Barcelona to the one that won the treble last season?

"I think the essence of Barcelona is the same. The way of playing is exactly the same. Its a great team that has won everything in the past. We keep reminding ourselves that they are the champions of Europe. But we have to play our game and obviously we come here with the mentality that we can win and qualify for the next stage," said the Argentine.

For that to happen much may depend on the crucial decision taken by Guardiola regarding the status of Messi. The Catalan coach described Messi as the best player in the world when it came to his turn to talk and emphasised the importance of the diminuitive Argentine

Guardiola said of Messi, "Playing without him is like the Chicago Bulls playing without Michael Jordan. I imagine they lose something... or the Los Angeles Lakers playing without Kobe Bryant."

It was a colourful comparison, albeit a little unfortunate, given that it was made after a week in which one his star players, Thierry Henry, has been severely criticised for a handball incident in an international match for France.

Ashish Sharma, Goal.com

Thank you for your comment!

Please enter your name

Please enter your location

Please share your comment!