Antonio Conte has warned his Inter players they must be more ruthless in front of goal to beat AC Milan in tomorrow’s Coppa Italia quarter-final.
The Nerazzurri were punished for their wastefulness on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Udinese.
The winners of Tuesday’s tie will face either Juventus or SPAL in the semi-finals next month.
“From a psychological point of view, getting through to the next round is the most important thing in a competition like the Coppa Italia, which we have the utmost respect for,” Conte explained in his pre-game interview with Italian broadcaster Rai Sport.
“In the first derby of the season we found ourselves 2-0 down then we scored and had several chances to equalise.
“I think that not only tomorrow but in general, we need to be much more cynical and determined especially when we get to the final ball, in the end, that will be important, to be determined and decisive especially when we reach the box.”
Conte was then quick to insist that there is more to AC Milan than talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has 13 goals and two assists in 14 appearances this season.
“Ibrahimovic is an important player for Milan, but I believe that this AC Milan is not only Ibrahimovic on his own, they are a team made up of strong and technically good players who are doing important things.”
Conte concluded by addressing the current form of both Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, neither of whom have scored a league goal in the Nerazzurri’s past four games.
“I’m happy with the participation and self-sacrifice that they bring throughout the game, then maybe there are more or less lucky moments for a striker.
“The important thing is that there is always great participation and self-sacrifice and they always have this.”
Inter versus AC Milan is scheduled to kick off at 20:45 local time at San Siro.
