Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is prepared to shift his complete focus to this evening’s massive Serie A clash with Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium.
Speaking to InterTV ahead of the match, the 27-year-old emphasized the need for the team to put the celebrations of the Supercoppa Italiana win over Juventus on Wednesday behind them and focus on a match with big Scudetto implications.
Inter travel to Bergamo in search of their ninth consecutive win in Serie A, but they will know that La Dei will be easily one of the most difficult teams that they’ve faced along this run.
The last time that these two teams met finished in a 2-2 draw, and both sides will feel that this could be a pivotal clash for their seasons with La Dei aiming to claw back the deficit from Inter to just five points, while both can feel their other rivals breathing down their necks.
The Nerazzurri got their hands on their first piece of silverware for the season with a dramatic extra time win over Juventus during the week, but they must already face another massive challenge with potential trophy implications.
“The Supercoppa is already in the past,” Calhanoglu stated. “Today’s match against Atalanta will be difficult.”
He went on that “They play man-to-man marking and are very well-organized. But we have prepared for them well with our coach and staff, and we have to treat this match as a decisive one for the Scudetto.”
“As the coach said, I expect a match with many physical battles,” he continued, “we will have to run a lot. It is the duels that will be decisive today, but we are ready, we want all three points.”
