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Jurgen Klinsmann has given his verdict ahead of Inter’s Champions League play-off round second leg against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday evening, and has reflected on his own experiences of overturning a two-goal deficit in Europe with the Nerazzurri.

Inter fell to a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie against Bodo/Glimt last week, and will now need to win by at least two goals to keep the fixture alive in San Siro on Tuesday night.

Klinsmann on Inter memories, Bodo/Glimt challenge and Esposito growth

Klinsmann knows full well what it is like to go into the second leg of a European match looking to overturn a two-goal deficit. Back in 1990, he and his Nerazzurri teammates responded to a 2-0 UEFA Cup loss against Aston Villa by winning 3-0 in San Siro in the reverse fixture.

“It’s one of the games I’ll never forget, the biggest comeback of my career,” Klinsmann told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

epa11076040 South Korea head coach Juergen Klinsmann holds a press conference ahead of a Group E match against Bahrain at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at the Main Media Centre in Doha, Qatar, 14 January 2024. EPA-EFE/YONHAP SOUTH KOREA OUT

“After the first leg, nobody thought that we wouldn’t make it, in fact we were all convinced. You always have to start from there, from the optimism that convinces you to do great things.

“The rest of the credit goes to the supporters in the stadium, because it was a simply incredible atmosphere. It was one of the most energetic matches I’ve ever been part of. I still remember the supporters waving all those flags.”

Klinsmann believes that the current Inter squad could learn a few lessons from that famous night back in 1990.

“It teaches you that you have to be patient and that you don’t necessarily have to score all the goals straight away. I scored one early, but we had to wait until midway through the second half for Berti’s second. Then, a little while later came that fabulous goal from Alessandro Bianchi. The roar was incredible.”

Klinsmann believes that a lot of credit must go to the development of Norwegian football after Bodo/Glimt’s 3-1 victory over Inter last week.

“Norwegian football has had an incredible development over the last 10 years. We don’t talk about it enough, but they will be the surprise team at the World Cup. There might be more experienced national teams who might win the whole thing, but Norway has everything to go the distance. Bodo/Glimt represents this movement very well.”

BODO, NORWAY – FEBRUARY 18: Jens Petter Hauge of Bodo/Glimt celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Kasper Hogh during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off First Leg match between FK Bodo/Glimt and FC Internazionale Milano at Aspmyra Stadion on February 18, 2026 in Bodo, Norway. (Photo by Martin Ole Wold/Getty Images)

Klinsmann believes it would be a mistake to underestimate Bodo/Glimt for a second time.

“The biggest mistake would be to treat them as beginners,” he said. “They won’t be intimidated because they’re an excellent team with good results in Europe. They’re not just strong at home, they have the quality to give Inter trouble in Milan as well.

“They will have to attack a lot, but without exposing themselves because they know how to punish you from the first opportunity.”

Inter will have to do it without captain and leading centre-forward Lautaro Martinez, who is unavailable through injury on Tuesday night. Klinsmann is full of praise for the man who is expected to replace him, Pio Esposito, though.

“Pio has already established himself, regardless of the role that he will have until the end of the season, whether that’s coming on or starting from the off. This guy has made it clear what he’s made of.

LECCE, ITALY – FEBRUARY 21: Francesco Pio Esposito of Inter warms up prior to the Serie A match between US Lecce and FC Internazionale at Stadio Via del Mare on February 21, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

“We hope that he is the man of destiny for our qualification, but we hope more than anything that he can grow even further. Finally, a strong Italian who gets a chance on the pitch.

“I like him because he doesn’t know fear and he always has the right level of trust. If he misses, he is only ever frustrated with himself and not the teammate who passed him the ball. He can drag his team despite being 20 years old. But I expect the same leadership from other Inter players as well.”

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has criticised Jose Mourinho’s handling of the alleged racial abuse from Gianluca Prestianni towards Vinicius Junior last week. The Benfica manager was widely criticised for focusing on Vinicius’ celebrations after his goal, rather than the incident himself, with many seeing his words as a way of justifying Prestianni’s insults.

In terms of what happened last week, Courtois revealed that it was Vinicius’ call for the players to continue playing after the incident with Prestianni. The Belgian veteran felt that it was an issue that the decision comes down to Vinicius.

“This is a great moment for football to put an end to these things. We know what Vinicius has told us… and it’s something that has happened many times. We have to stop it. UEFA decides…”

“They’re getting better and better. Ultimately, the problem is that at that point, it’s Vinicius who decides whether we go back to playing; because if he says no, we’ll consider leaving. And then it’s up to the UEFA official to decide what happens with the match.”

“As for the situation in the stands, it’s grounds for stopping the game and ejecting those people. But of course, it’s not normal for a player to see what’s happening in the stands; that’s the responsibility of the match official. And the authorities should be called. We need to stop being so foolish as a society.”

‘Mourinho is Mourinho’ – Courtois

Speaking about Mourinho’s comments, in which he claimed that with Eusebio as an icon of the club, ‘Benfica could not be racist’. He also noted that ‘it’s a problem everywhere Vinicius goes, in every stadium’, while discussing his celebrations.

“Well, Mourinho is Mourinho, and as a manager, you’ll always defend your club. But it bothers me that Vinicius’ celebration is being used against him. It was disappointing. Because when Real Madrid concede, it’s double or triple that. It happened, and we have to move on. It happened, and we can’t justify a suspected act of racism because of a celebration.”

Image via AFP7 vía Europa PressEuropa Press

Prestianni is set to miss the game at the Bernabeu after UEFA handed him a one-game temporary ban while the investigation continues. If Benfica’s appeal were to be successful, Courtois was not sure whether he and his side would shake his hand though.

“It’s something we players haven’t discussed. We’ll see what we decide as a team.”

Prestianni allegedly admitted to homophobic abuse

Courtois would go on to condemn the words of former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who sided with Prestianni. The Benfica winger has reportedly told UEFA’s investigation that he had called Vinicius a homophobic slur rather than a racist one. This was put to Courtois.

“It seems he said it… and I think it’s just as serious. They’re homophobic insults. Just like what happened in the stands at Da Luz was extremely serious. You might like a player more or less, but doing that is deplorable. I don’t know if he’s been condemned, or if they’ve said whether they’re going to prosecute those who made the monkey gesture… but both racism and homophobia are unacceptable. And his insults are just as bad. If he doesn’t cover his mouth then… we can only imagine what he says when he does.”

Image via Angel Martinez / Getty Images.

Courtois hits back at Rui Costa comments

Meanwhile Benfica President Rui Costa had defended Prestianni on their arrival in Madrid on Tuesday, saying that he was not racist, and drew attention to Fede Valverde’s swing at Samuel Dahl. Benfica reported the incident to UEFA, but they have dismissed the allegation of violent conduct.

“Using the Fede thing… it’s completely irrelevant. He had no intention of hitting an opponent. Regarding Prestianni… it’s difficult, it’s always going to be one word against another. But we are 100% behind Vinicius, who has been through a lot… and has never said anything like that. He heard it 100%, as he has heard it many times before, and I believe him 100%. Since he covered his mouth, we’ll never know. And Benfica will defend their player. But there’s not much more we can do: it’s up to UEFA, to the institutions.”

The veteran tight end is sharing his plans for the upcoming season alongside a current injury update. Details from NFL Network suggest Ertz has finalized his decision on where he will play next year.

Finland vil ikke delta under åpningsseremonien i Paralympics i Milano Cortina 6. mars.
Det opplyser Finlands paralympiske komité. Beslutningen er tatt for å vise støtte til Ukraina og markere motstand mot Den internasjonale paralympiske komité (IPC) etter tildelingen av såkalte friplasser til russiske og belarusiske utøvere.
– Vi ønsker å gi våre utøvere mulighet til å forfølge sine paralympiske drømmer, sier leder for Finlands paralympiske komité, Sari Rautio, til YLE.
– Samtidig er dette det minste vi kan gjøre for å vise solidaritet med Ukraina og markere vår holdning til IPCs beslutninger om russiske og belarusiske utøvere.
IPC har gitt seks plasser til russiske utøvere i alpint, langrenn og snowboard, samt fire plasser til belarusiske langrennsløpere. Friplassene går til utøvere som ikke har kvalifisert seg direkte gjennom ordinære resultater.
Ukraina har reagert kraftig på avgjørelsen. Selv om landet ikke boikotter selve konkurransene, har ukrainske myndigheter og landets paralympiske komité bedt andre europeiske nasjoner om å vise støtte ved å utebli fra åpningsseremonien. Estland, Latvia og Polen gjør det samme.