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“There’s a lot of energy in this stadium”: Inter want to get back on track against BVB
Despite recent setbacks in the Champions League, Cristian Chivu has no doubts about the work he's doing. The former Inter professional, who took over from Simone Inzaghi in the summer, believes his team are on the right track in both Serie A and Europe. “My team have grown mentally over the past two months – they are playing with more conviction and ambition,” said the Romanian. “Ups and downs are part of any development.” Despite his great respect for the difficult task ahead, his anticipation prevails: “We know it’s not easy to play here. There’s a lot of energy in this stadium. Dortmund rarely lose at home. But even they have their problems sometimes.”
Defender Yann Bisseck expressed similar optimism. The Cologne-born Germany international continues to believe in a conciliatory end to the first half of the season – including a possible jump back into the top eight teams. “BVB are very strong and reached the Champions League final in 2024. In this atmosphere, it’s crucial to keep a cool head,” said Bisseck. He is not intimidated by the Yellow Wall: “We’re not afraid. We also play at San Siro, which is a special stadium.”
Like Borussia, who dropped from sixth to 16th place after a 2-2 draw with Bodø/Glimt and a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur and go into the last matchday of the league phase with 11 points, Inter Milan were also unable to defend a good starting position (see facts). Victories over Ajax (2-0), Slavia Prague (3-0), Union Saint-Gilloise (4-0) and Kairat Almaty (2-1) had put the Nerazzurri in third place early on and fuelled hopes of early direct qualification for the round of 16, which is only guaranteed for the top eight teams.
League leaders in Serie A
This prospect is now only realistic with the help of other clubs. For the first time in the club's history, Inter failed to pick up any points in three consecutive Champions League matches – against Atlético Madrid (2-1), Liverpool (1-0) and Arsenal (3-1). As a result, they have fallen to 14th place. The away game in Dortmund is their fourth attempt to get points on the board against a major European rival.
At least the 20-time Italian champions, who will be without the injured EURO 2020 winner Nicolo Barella, are not in danger of being eliminated prematurely. With 12 points, they are guaranteed a place in the play-offs even if they lose. The teams ranked 9th to 24th will play home and away matches for the remaining places in the round of 16. With only one point separating them from sixth to eighth place, Inter could avoid this additional round by winning in Dortmund.
Chivu's team are performing very differently in Serie A. Ten games without defeat have put Inter at the top of the table, five points ahead of city rivals AC Milan. Even a 0-2 deficit had no consequences in the recent 6-2 win against bottom-of-the-table Pisa. Nevertheless, there is a parallel to their European record at national level: they have only managed one win against their direct rivals AC Milan, Roma, Napoli and Juventus.
Inter are taking heart from their positive history against BVB. The two clubs met in the semi-finals of the 1963/64 European Cup, the quarter-finals of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup and the group stage of the 2019/20 Champions League. With three wins, one draw and two defeats, Inter have a slight edge in the head-to-head record.
The club, founded in 1908, also has the edge in terms of European titles. After successes in the European Cup in 1964 and 1965, Inter won the Champions League for the third time in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich. They also have three UEFA Cup triumphs to their name (1991, 1994, 1998). Further title chances have recently gone unused: in 2023, Inter lost to Manchester City (1-0) in the Champions League final and in 2025 to Paris Saint-Germain (5-0).
BVB coach Niko Kovac paid great respect to the current Italian league leaders, whose squad includes two former Dortmund players, Manuel Akanji and Henrikh Mkhitaryan: “We are playing against a really strong team that has been in the final twice in the last three years. It’s anything but easy. Balance will be crucial – we mustn’t be naive” (see preview).