F.C. Internazionale Milano - Forza Inter :: Fudbal ~ Kladionica ~ Fantasy ~ Navijaci

Key facts

• FC Internazionale Milano claimed the first of their two European Champion Clubs' Cup titles in 1963/64 by defeating Real Madrid CF 3-1 in the final in Vienna, succeeding city rivals AC Milan as champions. It is the only time in the competition's history that the cup has stayed in the same city, but in different hands.

• Inter retained the trophy 12 months later when they overcame SL Benfica by a single goal from Jair in front of their own fans as the final was held at the San Siro in Milan.

• The Nerazzurri won the UEFA Cup three times in the 1990s, with victories against two fellow Italian clubs - AS Roma in 1990/91 and S.S. Lazio seven years later – either side of a defeat of SV Austria Salzburg in 1993/94. Back in the 1960s, Inter twice won the European/South American Cup, defeating Argentina's CA Independiente in both 1964 and 1965/66.

• Prior to 2002/03, Inter's only involvement in the UEFA Champions League came in 1998/99 when they reached the quarter-final stage only to lose 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Manchester United FC.

• Inter was won the Serie A title on 13 occasions, but the Nerazzurri have not got their hands on the Scudetto since the late 1980s.

• As a player, Inter coach Roberto Mancini won two Italian league titles, six Coppa Italias, and two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups. As a coach he has guided three different teams to victory in the Coppa Italia: ACF Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter. The cup triumph in 2004/05 was Inter's first silverware since winning the Italian league title in 1988/89.

Team tactics

• Mancini favours a 4-4-2 formation, although he has, on occasion, reverted to a lone striker supported by attacking midfielders, of which Inter are not in short supply. Adriano is unquestionably Mancini's first-choice striker and, despite a loss of form in the early part of 2006, the Brazilian nevertheless struck four times in the group stage including a hat-trick against FC Artmedia.

• Julio Cruz has also played a part with goals against Artmedia, FC Porto and AFC Ajax in the first knockout round, helping the Argentinian earn a new contract as reward for his crucial goals and his patience in waiting for a chance ahead of Obafemi Martins and Álvaro Recoba. Another player to have signed a new deal is Francesco Toldo, who returned to goal with a series of fine performances after being overlooked for five months. Toldo is shielded by a solid defence that has challenged Juventus as the meanest in Serie A.

• Iván Córdoba and Walter Samuel form an imposing physical partnership, which is flanked by the experienced Javier Zanetti and Pierre Womé. Inter's goalscoring chances are forged in a midfield comprising the artistry of Luis Figo on the right and Dejan Stanković on the left; the latter has played in the middle on several occasions this year but is most effective on the wing, where he frequently cuts inside to deadly effect, as shown by his goal against Ajax. In central midfield, the vision of Juan Sebastián Verón blends perfectly with the tireless running of Esteban Cambiasso.

Last five seasons

2000/01: After failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions league. Inter went into the UEFA Cup, where they reached the fourth round with victories against KS Ruch Chorzów, SBV Vitesse and Hertha BSC Berlin before losing 5-3 on aggregate to eventual finalists Deportivo Alavés.

2001/02: Inter enjoyed another strong run in the UEFA Cup, a competition that has brought them more success than the UEFA Champions League down the years. In 2002 they went as far as the semi-finals, but a 1-0 defeat in the home leg against Feyenoord left them up against it and despite scoring two away goals, Inter went out 3-2 on aggregate having only managed a draw in Rotterdam.

2002/03: The Nerazzurri lost once in both the first and second group stages but still reached the last eight of the competition. Inter had notable group wins against Newcastle United FC (4-1) and Bayer O4 Leverkusen (3-2 and 2-0) before overcoming Valencia CF in the quarter-finals. City neighbours AC Milan wrecked Inter's hopes of making the final, however, winning with an away goal at the San Siro home the clubs share as the tie finished 1-1 overall after two draws.

2003/04: Inter's inconsistency cost them their place in the UEFA Champions League as they followed a highly-impressive 3-0 win away at Arsenal FC with a remarkable 5-1 home defeat against the same opponents. They managed only one other win before moving into the UEFA Cup. A 4-3 victory against SL Benfica took them into the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by Olympique de Marseille after 1-0 defeats in both matches.

2004/05: Inter sailed through the UEFA Champions League group unbeaten, including a 5-1 victory against Valencia. After knocking out the holders FC Porto in the last 16, Inter faced their nemesis again: Milan. They lost the first leg 2-0 and were trailing 1-0 in the return when crowd trouble from a section of their fans forced the match to be abandoned with UEFA awarding the second leg to Milan 3-0 and imposing a four-match stadium ban on Inter.

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