Thuram: ‘Everyone says it’s the right time to face Liverpool, maybe it isn’t’

Marcus Thuram warns that there is never an ‘easy’ time to play against a team like Liverpool, despite suggestions that this might be a decent opportunity to collect points against the troubled reigning Premier League Champions in Europe on Tuesday evening. 

Inter will host Liverpool in San Siro for the sixth round of Champions League league phase fixtures on Tuesday evening. 

The Nerazzurri have been in strong form in the Champions League so far this term with four wins and one loss so far, which has them level on points with Paris Saint-Germain in second, Bayern Munich in third and Real Madrid in fifth. Only Arsenal have a 100% win record in the Champions League after five games. 

Liverpool, meanwhile sit in 13th on nine points, but it is their recent domestic form that has been a major cause for concern. Arne Slot’s side have not won since their 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at the beginning of November. 

Since then, they have been defeated by Nottingham Forest and PSG, held to draws by two newly-promoted sides in Liverpool and Leeds, and had fallen to disappointing losses against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United earlier in the season as well. 

Thuram, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday evening, insists that this is still not an ‘easy’ time to play against Liverpool. 

When asked if Inter have ‘something more’ than their opponents this season, Thuram replied: “I don’t think so, each game is an individual episode. We’ll play against a strong team tomorrow with a lot of champions in their squad. Everyone says it’s the right time to face Liverpool, but maybe it isn’t.” 

And when asked where the danger in this current Liverpool side lies, Thuram said: “I don’t know. We’ll face a great team and try to do our thing. We’ll see.” 

Thuram was asked how he is feeling on a physical level given that a start against Liverpool would mean three starts in six days for him. “Yes, yes, I feel good. A dangerous question,” he laughed in response. 

He had given a similar response when asked about his physical condition after a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League at the end of September. He went on to miss over a month of action after that. “All joking aside, I’ve come back from an injury but I’ve recovered well and I’m ready,” Thuram reassured. 

The Frenchman was then asked about Inter’s struggles in ‘big’ matches this season and why the team have failed to win any of their six pointers in the league this term. 

“I don’t know. We’ve won a lot since I’ve been here. These are individual incidents. It’s true that we’ve been missing something since the start of the year, but we know where to improve.” 

Can Inter beat Liverpool in the same way that they did against Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the Champions League last season? 

“I don’t know, they were further along in the competition and therefore more decisive,” Thuram said. “San Siro will be fired up as always, but maybe not with that same atmosphere.”