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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

'The best' - Fabinho makes Inter Milan warning as Liverpool prepare Champions League return

Fabinho believes Liverpool will be coming up against the best team in Italy when they resume their Champions League campaign this week.

The Reds are at Inter Milan on Wednesday for the first leg of their round of 16 tie having qualified for the knockout stages with a 100% record in the group.

Inter are currently one point off neighbours AC Milan - who Liverpool beat home and away in the group stages - in the Serie A table with a game in hand.

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And Fabinho, who was the Reds' matchwinner at Burnley on Sunday, acknowledges the task facing Jurgen Klopp's side.

"This will be a really tough game," he said. "Inter right now is the best Italian team, that's why they are up near the top in the league.

"They play good, they are a strong team. They play together maybe four or five seasons, some players.

"We have two to three days to prepare for this game and hopefully go to Milan and have a good result in a nice stadium."

Inter earned a point at fellow title challengers Napoli at the weekend and have lost only one of the last 10 games in all competitions.

*RATE THE LIVERPOOL PLAYERS FOR THE WIN OVER BURNLEY:

While Italian coronavirus restrictions mean the San Siro will be operating at 50% capacity, around 40,000 fans are expected to attend the match.

And Andy Robertson said to LFC TV: "It's going to be incredibly tough. Inter are going really well in Serie A up fighting at the top.

"We'll try and keep pushing on all fronts. We have a tough game away first and we need to be at our best and do what we have been doing over the last six to eight weeks.

"If we do that then I believe we can get a positive result. It's an iconic stadium and I'm sure the crowd will be fantastic and we will bring a big away support."

Liverpool have now won their last six games with Fabinho scoring the only goal five minutes before half-time at Burnley on Sunday after Sadio Mane had flicked on Trent Alexander-Arnold's left-wing corner.

The Brazilian now has five goals in his last seven games, but can't quite put his finger on his new-found prowess in the penalty area.

"I don't know.," he said to LFC TV. "When you are confident and score goals you think the ball will always come to you, so I'm always confident I will have a chance to score a goal.

"I try to move to the ball and I was lucky after Sadio's deflection that the ball came to me and I was alive to score the goal.

"It was a good time to score, just before half-time. In the second half we had a little bit more space - 1-0 is enough."

The game at Turf Moor was played in howling wind and rain which affected both sides.

And Fabinho added: "It's really hard to play in these conditions, in this weather. The warm-up was really hard!

"But when you are in the game you are concentrated and do everything to win. We have to fight and we play in England, so we are used to it!"

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