Today's Edition
LONDON (PA MEDIA/dpa)
Al Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi believes he is coming up against the best manager in the game in Pep Guardiola ahead of his side's next Club World Cup match - but should have beaten him during the 2023 Champions League final.
Inzaghi was in charge of the Inter Milan team which Guardiola's Manchester City famously beat in Istanbul to complete a glorious treble just over two years ago.
The pair met again when Inter and City fought out a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium last September and, after switching to the Saudi Arabian outfit recently, Inzaghi is now preparing for another encounter.
Al-Hilal face City for a place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals at Orlando's Camping World Stadium on Monday night ( 0100 GMT on Tuesday).
The Italian said: "I believe every coach that starts to train considers Guardiola an inspiration.
"I believe there was football before and there will be after Guardiola, but he developed a new philosophy of football and a new way of playing.
"I believe he is the best coach over the last 20-25 years and is a great example for us as a coach.
"Last year was a great game with both teams who deserved a goal, but then there was the final game in Istanbul when maybe Inter deserved more and we were not so lucky as Man City won.
"They are a great team and we are going to try to put in a performance against a world-class group."
Inzaghi confirmed captain Salem Al-Dawsari - scorer of Saudi Arabia's winning goal in their shock defeat of eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup - and former Fulham and Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will miss the game through injury.
