Inter go to Feyenoord on Tuesday night needing a win, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu has a Turkish record in his sights. The Inter midfielder has 12 Champions League goals. One more would put him level with Hakan Şükür and Burak Yılmaz on 13, the most by any player from Türkiye in the competition.
The game kicks off at 21:00 CET at De Kuip in Rotterdam. Both clubs have three points from their first three games.
A slow start for Inter
Cristian Chivu’s side lost their first two league phase games. They were beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid and then lost 4-3 to Club Brugge at San Siro. Their only win so far was 1-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The weekend did not help. Inter lost the Milan derby 3-1, and the defeat knocked them off the top of Serie A.
Chivu has a long list of missing players. Captain Lautaro Martínez is out after getting hurt against Club Brugge. John Stones and Curtis Jones are injured, and so is Benjamin Pavard. Alessandro Bastoni scored in the derby, but he is banned for this game after his red card against Shakhtar.
Feyenoord are strong at home
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Feyenoord lost 5-1 at Barcelona on the first night. They then beat Como 3-2 at home before a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis.
They have not won in their last three games, with two draws in the Eredivisie. De Kuip is a different story. Feyenoord are still unbeaten at home this season in all competitions, and they are unbeaten in six Champions League home games against Italian clubs, with four wins and two draws.
Van Bronckhorst is without Bart Nieuwkoop and Jordan Bos, who have long-term injuries. Thomas Beelen is also out for a long time. Jeremiah St. Juste is a doubt.
Our take
This feels like a big night for both clubs. The team that loses will have three points from four games and a lot of work to do.
Inter have a good record against Dutch sides. They are unbeaten in their last 14 European games against clubs from the Netherlands. Without Lautaro and Bastoni, though, they look weaker than usual, and De Kuip will be loud.
Çalhanoğlu is expected to start in midfield. Will he get the goal he needs, and can Inter win in Rotterdam? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Hakan Çalhanoğlu by Steindy (CC BY-SA 3.0); Giovanni van Bronckhorst and De Kuip by Wouter Engler (CC BY-SA 4.0).
