Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi feels that his team will have to raise their level a bit for tomorrow evening’s Champions League clash compared to the reverse fixture at the San Siro.
Speaking in a press conference, as reported by FCInterNews, the 45-year-old gave his thoughts ahead of the match and also provided the update that Lautaro Martinez is fully fit for the clash.
The Nerazzurri lost their first group stage match in the Champions League this season when Real found a last-minute winner at the San Siro, the only goal of the game.
The result was a frustrating one for Inzaghi and his team because they produced a very encouraging display and created more goalscoring chances than their opponents especially in the first half.
However, now as they head to face the same opponents in the last round of the group stage, both the Nerazzurri and the Merengues have already qualified for the knockout rounds.
A win will still be an important objective for the Nerazzurri, however, as it would mean topping the group ahead of the Spanish league leaders.
“I think tomorrow is an important match for us,” Inzaghi stated, “we progressed to the next round but it will be still important for us to play a great match.”
“In the first leg we did very well but it wasn’t enough,” he added, “tomorrow we will have to do a little more.”
“Benzema is very important for them,” he said of the Real striker who will miss the match through injury, “but us coaches have to live with these problems. They have Jovic, who scored and assisted in their last game.”
On why he thinks his team’s form has been improving, Inzaghi stated that “I think we got to understand each other better, the team has been playing in this formation for more than two years.”
“At the beginning of the season, however, we played good football,” he continued, “the clearedt example was the first leg against Real. Now we’re coming off the back of a positive run that gave us self-belief.”
Of his opposite number, Real head coach Carlo Ancelotti, he stated that “”His career speaks for itself, before the first leg we talked about football, it’s always a pleasure.”
“I’m happy that he’s doing well in La Liga,” he added, “they has a big gape over second place. We’re talking about a great man who has won a lot in his career.”
On the injuries in the squad, the coach stated that “We will be without Darmian, Ranocchia, or Satriano [the latter not in Inter’s Champions League squad list], and now Correa is also out who picked up a knock at the Olimpico – I’m sorry for him because he was growing into the team.”
“He’s a player I know well,” he added about Correa, “he was in a good moment of form, he is a significant loss for us.”
“Lautaro has no problems being available, and de Vrij and Kolarov are in training so we will evaluate their conditions,” Inzaghi added.
“”It is normal that there are expectations around us,” he stated, “as was the case in the first leg. We played well, here we will not have many of our fans, we will be at the Bernabeu.”
He stated that “We will play with personality and confidence, knowing that we have already achieved something important, it has been ten years since we last reached the knockouts. Tomorrow we want to play an excellent match.”
On the form of players who have been rotated into the team, the coach stated that “I think it’s a point of pride for a coach, everyone has played, some more, some less. It’s the best a coach can hope for, I have real professionals at my disposal, very serious guys.”
“Tomorrow is an important match,” the coach emphasized, “we know that Inter have won only won away in Madrid once in their history. We are preparing for the match in the best possible way, we’re motivated.”
And of Real forward Vinicius Junior, he stated that “We know of him, he is a player of the highest quality who is consistently scoring and assisting goals this season. He will be a player we give special attention, like many others.”
