I have always been fascinated by Italian football.
A child of the early-nineties, forging my first footballing memories in formative years falling after Italia 90 but before David Beckham’s 2003 move to Real Madrid, how could I not be?
Forget the lure of La Liga, Football Italia on Channel 4 was where it was at.
Spain might have Real Madrid and Barcelona but their great sides never caught my eye the same way as the likes of Juventus, AC Milan, Internazionale or AS Roma.
They didn’t need to call themselves ‘Galacticos’ to be littered with world class player after world class player and to be considered truly special.
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It was the Italians who first witnessed the global superstardom of Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, while it was the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Pavel Nedved, Edgar Davids, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Paolo Maldini who first captured my imagination when flicking through the pages of my weekly Match magazine or absorbing the back page of the Funday Times pull-out from my dad’s weekly edition of the Sunday Times.
I will never forget the AC Milan starting XI from the 2005 Champions League final, and that is nothing to do with the fact that they were the opponents on Liverpool’s most famous night in Istanbul. They were just such a gifted team.
The Juventus side the Reds knocked out in that year’s quarter-finals were arguably even more talented and with Patrick Vieira added to their ranks in the summer of 2005, would surely steal Liverpool’s European crown.
Spoiler alert. They didn’t.
While Italy might have been crowned world champions in 2006, the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal stopped what could have been a golden age of Italian football in its tracks.
In truth Italian football has never fully recovered this strength in competition or these star-studded squads, yet my affiliation with Serie A has always remained, bubbling away under the surface.
So when Liverpool were drawn in the Champions League group-stages against AC Milan, I had a burning desire to be at that game and attend a game at the great San Siro, well-aware that it faces demolition but totally ignorant to the fact the Reds would be returning just two months later.
Sure enough, I was there when Divock Origi ensured the Reds would progress with a 100% winning record, but it wasn’t to be the only match I took in during my December trip.
The day after Liverpool beat Milan, I was in Turin as Moise Kean struck the only goal for Juventus in 1-0 victory over Malmo, hammering home just how far Italian football has fallen since my wide-eyed, adoring childhood.
And I’d also get to attend a match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome too, venue of two of Liverpool’s six European Cup final wins, boxing off their powerhouse quartet in the process with Internazionale the visitors to the eternal city that night.
The Roma fans were incredible from start to finish, producing one of the best atmospheres I have experienced at a match - second only to Anfield.
But Jose Mourinho’s side were no match for Simeone Inzaghi’s men as the reigning Serie A champions ran riot.
Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring early on, somehow nutmegging goalkeeper Rui Patricio at the near post direct from a corner, before turning provider and setting up Edin Dzeko following a fine team move midway through the half. Coming against his former side, such a strike was as popular as you can imagine.
Denzel Dumfries then made it three shortly before the interval, heading home at the far post from Alessandro Bastoni's cross in the most dominant of performances.
To highlight their control, only two Roma players attempted more than 50 passes. Marcelo Brozovic would record 131 passes with Danilo D'Ambrosio on 110. Meanwhile, Bastoni and Milan Skriniar would just miss out on centuries, while Hakan Calhanoglu would also comfortably record more than any of their counterparts, with the same quintet dominating in terms of touches too.
3-0 did not flatter the Milanese side. With Dzeko a constant threat leading the line, it could easily have been more on the most intimidating of away days. Boasting 66% possession, an emphatic win was never in doubt and their celebrations in front of their travelling away fans showed how much it meant to them.
That win took them up to second in the table, a point behind AC Milan on the eve of their own loss to Liverpool.
Little over 10 weeks later, they still trail their local-rivals by the same margin, though boasting a game in hand, after a derby defeat and draws with Atalanta and Napoli since their mid-season break.
When previewing Liverpool’s return to the San Siro, Klopp would declare Inter as the best team in Italy. On the evidence I saw, despite their standing in the Serie A table, he is not wrong.
Both the Inter side that won the title last year and the one the Reds will face this season are littered with familiar yet ageing names to English audiences.
Former Manchester United duo Alexis Sanchez and Matteo Darmian and ex-Man City trio Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov and Felipe Caicedo all currently ply their trade at the San Siro, along with former Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona maestro Arturo Vidal.
Meanwhile, Ashley Young and former Liverpool loanee Daniele Padelli were amongst their contingent last year along with Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen.
And while their ranks are bolstered by younger talismen such as Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, Bastoni and Dumfries, it’s clear that even the best side in Serie A is no match for the great Italian sides that once went before them. Or maybe even Liverpool.
The Reds beat all those great Italian sides don't forget, and with a much lesser team themselves, on their way to conquering all of Europe. And with their transformation under Klopp complete, Liverpool have proven when it comes to winning on the continent, they are never going to stop.
But that doesn’t mean Inter will be European pushovers either.
With 3-5-2 their go-to formation under Inzaghi, the Italians' game plan will be exactly the same against the Reds as it has been all season. Keep a compact shape and look to retain possession.
It’ll be up to Klopp’s side to find a way to break through.
Liverpool are one of the very best in Europe for a reason, having already established their reputation at top as Inter, taking part in the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in a decade, now trying to rebuild theirs.
Yet the Reds know exactly what threat a reborn Inter could pose, having had to be similarly patient under Klopp before bursting back onto the scene and making their own name once again one of the most-feared in European football.
Liverpool are favourites to beat Italy’s best team, no doubt. But while this Internazionale might be lacking a Ronaldo, a Christian Vieri or even a Luis Figo, Inzaghi’s side still have it in them to provide the most purposeful of punches.
