Feyenoord vs Inter facts

Feyenoord's reward for beating AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs is a round of 16 tie against the Italian side's local rivals Inter.

The Dutch club, under interim coach Pascal Bosschaart following the departure of Brian Priske, were 1-0 winners at home to Milan in the first leg and progressed thanks to a 1-1 draw at San Siro.

Inter were fourth in the league phase to qualify directly for the round of 16.

Feyenoord appointed former striker Robin van Persie as their new head coach on 23 February.

Previous meetings

2001/02 UEFA Cup semi-final
Inter 0-1 Feyenoord
Feyenoord 2-2 Inter
The Dutch side edged past Inter on their way to lifting the UEFA Cup on home soil, Iván Córdoba's own goal at San Siro giving them the edge in the tie. Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jon Dahl Tomasson stretched the aggregate advantage in the first half of the Rotterdam return, though Feyenoord were left hanging on after Cristiano Zanetti and Mohamed Kallon, a penalty, struck in the final ten minutes.

New Feyenoord coach Van Persie started both legs in what was his debut season in the first team.

Form guide

Feyenoord

Record vs Italian clubs: W9 D7 L9 F28 A33
Home record vs Italian clubs: W7 D4 L1

Feyenoord's fixtures against Milan in the previous round made it four matches unbeaten against Serie A opponents (W1 D3) – although the first-leg win is their only victory in the last five.

The Dutch side's last three European campaigns have all ended in defeat against Roma – most recently in last season's Europa League knockout phase play-offs (1-1 h, 1-1 a, 2-4 pens).

Feyenoord had lost 4-2 on aggregate to the Italian side in the quarter-finals of the same competition the previous season, and 1-0 in the inaugural UEFA Conference League final in Tirana in 2022.

The Rotterdam club won four of their five seven games against Serie A sides (D1 L2) but have managed only five victories in their subsequent 18 (D6 L7).

The draw against Roma last season is the only one of Feyenoord's last six games at home to Italian visitors they failed to win, since the sole defeat – 1-2 against Roma in the 2014/15 Europa League round of 32 second leg (2-3 agg).

This season's win against Milan ended Feyenoord's run of three successive defeats in two-legged ties against Italian teams; their aggregate record is now W3 L3.

European champions in 1970, Feyenoord have never before reached the Champions League knockout rounds, although they did make the second group stage in 1999/2000.

This season's defeats by Bayer Leverkusen (0-4) and Salzburg (1-3) have made it three in Feyenoord's last 23 home European fixtures (W17 D3) – all in their last seven games (W3 D1) – although they have won the last two, beating Bayern München 3-0 on Matchday 7 before defeating Milan.

Inter

Record vs Dutch clubs: W9 D7 L5 F26 A19
Away record vs Dutch clubs: W3 D5 L2

Inter have not played Eredivisie opponents since taking four points off PSV Eindhoven in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage (2-1 a, 1-1 h).

That made it 11 games unbeaten (W7 D4) since that home defeat by Feyenoord in 2002.

Inter lost two of their first three games away to Dutch clubs (D1) but are unbeaten in the subsequent seven (W3 D4), winning three of the last five.

The Nerazzurri's last knockout tie against a team from Netherlands was a 3-2 aggregate defeat of Ajax in the 2005/06 round of 16 (2-2 a, 1-0 h), making their aggregate record W4 L2 with victories in four of the last five.

Inter's first game against Dutch opponents was a 2-0 loss to Ajax in the 1972 European Cup final at the Stadion Feijenoord 'De Kuip'.

Runners-up to Manchester City in the 2023 final, losing 1-0 in Istanbul – Inter's most successful Champions League campaign since lifting the trophy in 2010 – Simone Inzaghi's side were second behind Real Sociedad in Group D in 2023/24 but were then edged out by Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 1-2 a, 2-3 pens).

That was the second time in the last three seasons than Inter's campaign had foundered in the last 16, where their overall record is W5 L6, the defeats all in their last nine ties.

Since reaching the quarter-finals as holders in 2010/11, the 2022/23 campaign is the only one in which Inter won a Champions League knockout tie.

A 1-0 victory at Sparta Praha on Matchday 7 this season made it ten wins in Inter's last 26 away Champions League games (D7 L9), although they have won eight of the last 17.

Links and trivia

Inter's Dutch centre-back Stefan de Vrij joined Feyenoord in 2002 aged ten. Having signed his first professional contract in July 2009, he made his first-team debut two months later and went on to feature 154 times in all competitions, scoring seven goals, before leaving for Lazio in 2014.

Have also played in Netherlands:
Denzel Dumfries (Sparta Rotterdam 2014–17, Herenveen 2017/18, PSV Eindhoven 2018–21)
Marko Arnautović (Twente 2006–09)
Yann Bisseck (Roda JC 2019/20)

Have played in Italy:
Dávid Hancko (Fiorentina 2018/19)
Facundo González (Juventus 2023–, Sampdoria 2023/24 loan)

International team-mates:
Gernot Trauner & Marko Arnautović (Austria)
Jordan Lotomba & Yann Sommer (Switzerland)
Jakub Moder & Piotr Zieliński, Nicola Zalewski (Poland)

Latest news

Feyenoord

Robin van Persie was appointed coach on 23 February, signing a contract until 2027, after Brian Priske departed on 10 February.

Van Persie's first game in charge was a 0-0 draw at home to NEC Nijmegen on Saturday.

A 2-1 home win against Almere City on 22 February is one of only two in Feyenoord's last eight Eredivisie matches (D3 L3).

The Rotterdam club's three defeats in their last eight Eredivisie matches are as many as in their previous 50 fixtures.

Feyenoord are unbeaten in six games in all competitions (W3 D3), since a 2-0 loss at PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Cup quarter-final on 5 February.

Quinten Timber (knee) and Ayase Ueda (hamstring) have both been out since going off injured in the first leg against Milan.

Gernot Trauner has not played since a 2-1 defeat at Ajax on 2 February while Bart Nieuwkoop (leg) and Inbeom Hwang (leg) have been out since 8 February.

Justin Bijlow has been ruled out for a lengthy period after suffering a knee injury on Matchday 7.

Ramiz Zerrouki missed Matchday 7 with a leg injury and has not played since. Calvin Stengs was replaced early in the second half of that game with a hamstring problem, returning as a substitute in the second leg against Milan only to suffer an ankle injury.

Feyenoord have used 36 players in this season's Eredivisie, a new competition record, surpassing the previous mark of 31.

Inter

On Saturday, Serie A leaders Inter conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at second-placed Napoli.

Inter's Serie A record since Matchday 8 is W2 D2 L2 with both defeats in away games, at Fiorentina (0-3) and Juventus (0-1).

A 2-1 win at home to Fiorentina is the only one of those matches in which the Nerazzurri scored more than once.

A 1-0 home win against Genoa on 22 February was Inter's first clean sheet in five matches.

Lautaro Martínez's winner in that game made it 113 league goals, taking him joint-seventh with Roberto Boninsegna as Inter's all-time Serie A scorers. Sandro Mazzola, on 116 goals, is next on the list.

On 25 February Inter defeated Lazio 2-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals to set up a semi-final against city rivals Milan.

Federico Dimarco, whose free-kick had given Inter the lead at Napoli, was substituted early in the second half with a muscular problem while Hakan Çalhanoğlu was also replaced with a knock.

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer has not played since suffering a fractured thumb in his right hand against Juventus on 16 February.

Nicola Zalewski has been ruled out until mid-March with a calf injury, while Carlos Augusto (calf) has missed the last three games.

Matteo Darmian limped off in the first half against Lazio with a thigh injury.