Legendary former Inter striker Samuel Eto’o feels that Hakan Calhanoglu will be a key player in the midfield battle for the Nerazzurri against Liverpool.

Speaking to English tabloid the Mirror in an interview published in today’s print edition, the Cameroonian highlighted the importance of the 27-year-old to making his team tick in possession ahead of the match.

Inter and Liverpool will both look to play the game at their preferred tempo, and use midfield play to make life uncomfortable for each other.

In this sense, Calhanoglu is likely to have an important role to play as a midfielder who can make things happen for the Nerazzurri, whilst the Reds will be working hard to try and stop him from leaving his mark on the match.

Of the Turkish midfielder, Eto’o stated that “Hakan was a very important acquisition for Inter, he is full of creativity and ideas.”

He predicted that “Thiago will play an important role in stemming him from doing this. Calhanoglu influences a lot for Inter, so it’s important that Liverpool try to stop him.”

Eto’o also spoke about the respective importance of experienced midfielders Arturo Vidal and Jordan Henderson in affecting the match.

“On nights like these, experience matters a lot,” he explained. “Neither of these players is the youngest or fastest on the pitch, but both have played so many important games over the years.”

“There will be moments in which at least one team will need calm,” he added.

Of the duel between Reds winger Sadio Mane and Nerazzurri defender Milan Skriniar, he said that “Skriniar is one of the most experienced defenders in Italy and with all Liverpool’s attacking quality he will need that experience.”

“Mane will have so much confidence after the African Cup and he will be hungry for trophies,” he added of the Liverpool counterpart.

And on the battle between Lautaro Martinez and Joel Matip, Eto’o said that “Martinez has a lot of skill, a lot of quality, and he makes the difference for Inter.”

“If he can also show these qualities in these matches, it will be difficult even for a defender with as much experience as Matip has,” he added.