Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi will know that if the Nerazzurri can win against Real Madrid this evening in the Champions League, then they are likely to avoid the top sides in Europe in the next round.

This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who argue that the Nerazzurri will be on a mission to secure top spot in the group with a win with coach Simone Inzaghi wanting to avoid the kind of situation he faced when he drew Bayern Munich with Lazio last campaign.

Both Inter and Real are already through to the knockouts of the Champions League with a game to spare, but this does not mean that there is nothing for the two teams to play for at the Bernabeu.

Three points would be enough for Inter to qualify for the next round first place in their group, while a draw or a Real victory would see the side from the Spanish capital qualify from this position.

Topping the group would mean that Inter would be able to avoid the likes of Bayern, City, Liverpool, Ajax, and Chelsea as round of sixteen match-ups.

Last season when he was in charge of the Biancocelesti, Inzaghi guided his team to second in  their group behind Borussia Dortmund.

This was enough to get the capital club into the round of sixteen, an achievement in itself, but also meant that they faced one of the favourites for the competition in the form of Bayern.

The German side won the first league 4-1 at the Stadio Olimpico before completing the double with a 2-1 win in Bavaria, seeing Inzaghi’s men head out of the competition 6-1 on aggregate.

Undoubtedly the Nerazzurri will have to meet one of the top sides eventually should they wish to make a significant impact in the competition.

Moreover, there are still sides with real quality who they could draw as round of sixteen opponents even if they qualify top of their group, with Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain among the standouts.

However, with a less imposing opponent in the next round Inter would fancy their chances to progress further in the competition and not settle for just making the knockouts for the first time in a decade.

If Inter can beat Real this evening and then pick up an aggregate win in the next round to progress, they will feel that they have momentum going into the quarter-finals and beyond.

With Lazio, Inzaghi missed out on the chance to potentially keep their European adventure alive against a beatable opponent, and he will be mindful of the importance of doing the same with the Nerazzurri.

So far this campaign Inzaghi’s team have seemed to grow in form as the matches have piled up, and their coach could see the value in waiting until their momentum is peaking to come up against one of Europe’s established elite rather than suffering a demoralizing defeat in the next round.