Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal knows the significance of his team’s Champions League clash with Sheriff Tiraspol this evening.
Speaking to InterTV before the match, the Chilean emphasized that the Nerazzurri are treating the match as one where a failure to win cannot be acceptable.
Inter did not start their group stage will in this season’s edition of Europe’s top competition, with a frustrating last-minute defeat to Real Madrid followed by a goalless draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Two weeks ago they defeated Sheriff Tiraspol to give themselves a foothold in the group, but they are still behind the Moldovan side as well as Real thanks to their earlier results.
A win against Sheriff would guarantee that the Nerazzurri would finish the fourth round of the group stage second in their group and headed to the knockout rounds, but a loss or a draw could lead to failing to get out of their group for the fourth season running, and Vidal and his teammates are aware of this fact.
He called the match “100% decisive. Tonight is a final for us. We know that if we don’t win today we are out. We have to take the pitch with intensity and concentration, 100% so we can win.”
“We won an important match in the first leg,” the Chilean went on, “they played a pretty intense game. They are fast, we have to be careful. Today we have to play a perfect match. There is the derby on Sunday but today we only think about Sheriff. Tomorrow we will think about the derby.”