Young Boys welcome Inter Milan on Wednesday in the league phase of the Champions League. Former Inter professional Xherdan Shaqiri on the Bernese side's chances against the Italian champions.
Xherdan Shaqiri once wore the Inter jersey himself. In January 2015, the Nerazzurri signed him from Bayern Munich for around 18 million euros. However, Shaqiri was unable to play a dominant role for the northern Italians.
He started 13 times in a total of 20 appearances and scored three goals. The then Inter coach Roberto Mancini then made it clear to him that his time was up after six months in Lombardy.
The chapter at the 20-time Italian champions has gone better for Yann Sommer so far. The 35-year-old came to Milan - also from Munich - in the summer of 2023. Since then, the goalkeeper has proven to be a reliable back-up for the Interisti. In 58 competitive matches to date, he has kept 30 clean sheets.
A reaction to the change of coach
Sommer & Co. now want to show their class in the Champions League against the struggling Young Boys in the Wankdorf on Wednesday evening(live from 9pm on blue Sport). "With the change of coach, YB have a chance to start a new chapter," Shaqiri told blue Sport. He hopes that the Bernese team will show a reaction under new coach Joël Magnin and try to get positive results, especially in the Champions League. According to the Basel star, this would also give YB more confidence in the league so that they can pick up more points.
Does Shaqiri even think YB can win a point? The 125-time international expects a "very difficult game". "We know the quality of Inter Milan. It will certainly not be easy to score a goal against Yann," Shaqiri states. But he emphasizes: "YB has nothing to lose." Shaqiri therefore also sees an opportunity for the Swiss champions in the fixture: "With a new coach, it won't be easy for Inter to adjust to how they will play."
Incidentally, the now 33-year-old Shaqiri has played over 9,000 minutes or 116 competitive matches (for Basel and the national team) together with Sommer.
