By Wale Mustapha
Former Nigeria defender Taiye Taiwo has backed Inter Milan to qualify for the UEFA Champions League final, stating the Italian side has the quality to overcome Barcelona in their semifinal second leg clash on Tuesday.
Inter Milan will host Barcelona at the San Siro with the tie delicately poised at 3-3 after a thrilling first-leg draw at Camp Nou.
Speaking to RG, Taiwo, who featured in the Champions League during his time with Olympique Marseille and AC Milan, emphasized the importance of a strong start for the Nerazzurri.
“For me, they have a big opportunity for sure, but it is not going to be easy to play against Barcelona,” he said.
“If Inter can score an early goal, I believe they have the quality to go through with their strong defence.”
The former left-back cautioned that despite the home advantage, Inter must remain vigilant against a dangerous Barcelona side known for capitalizing on key moments.
Both teams will be chasing a spot in the final, with the winner set to face either Bayern Munich or Manchester City.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
