Inter will face two significant matches over the next week which will go a long way to determining the tenor of the rest of their season.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who highlight the importance of this evening’s match against Atalanta and Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with Shakhtar Donetsk to setting the tone in two major competitions.
Inter sit two points behind leaders Napoli in the Serie A table, and their form has marked them as serious candidates to defend their Scudetto crown this season.
However, Atalanta could be the most difficult opponents who Simone Inzaghi’s men have faced yet, and they will see the clash with last season’s third-place finishers as the perfect test of whether they can really build on the momentum of recent wins against Bologna and Fiorentina.
Meanwhile in the Champions League, the Nerazzurri did not get off to a good start, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid at the San Siro, and they will know that they must perform at their best if they wish to avoid a repeat of the last three seasons where they have exited Europe’s top competition from the group stage.
Tuesday’s trip to Ukraine to face Shakhtar is virtually a must-win as the Nerazzurri look to establish a foothold in their group after an encouraging performance and disappointing loss in their group stage opener.
