Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jonathan de Guzman has looked ahead to Thursday night’s Europa League match against what will be a familiar opponent for him in Inter.

The 31-year-old left Italy in the Summer for his current employers after four years in which he represented Napoli, Carpi and Chievo Verona.

“Serie A is a tough league with good teams and good players. I’d certainly include Inter in that,” he told Eintracht Frankfurt’s official club website.

“Even though they lost to Cagliari at the weekend, you have to remember Inter are still a Champions League club. That tells you all you need to know.”

“Our fans will definitely play an important role, and obviously a result like the one against Hoffenheim raises the motivation levels further. In return for that support, we have a duty to give everything.”

The Dutchman then went on to stress that just because Inter are without Mauro Icardi it does not mean that they do not have other important players who can hurt them.

“We shouldn’t make the mistake of only worrying about Mauro Icardi. With or without him, Inter have a lot of dangerous players who can create chances and score goals. We need to give them as little space as possible.”

He concluded the interview by insisting that he and his teammates must focus on what they are good at if they wish to advance.

“In the second leg against Shakhtar, we had a result to defend. This time around we’re playing at home first. Regardless of the system, we always try to play with aggression and high pressure – that’s our foundation.

“It’s well known that Italian teams are usually difficult to break down, and Inter are no exception. First and foremost, though, we have to focus on our own strengths.”