Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi isn’t expecting a straightforward match when the Nerazzurri face Roma in the Coppa Italia tomorrow, but he wants to see his team bounce back from Saturday’s derby defeat.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, the coach emphasized that the Nerazzurri will be motivated to secure progression to the Coppa semi-finals with a win over the Giallorossi after they felt hard done by to lose against AC Milan.
The Nerazzurri were dealt a damaging blow when their city rivals overturned their one-goal advantage to take three points in the derby, but they can hardly afford to dwell on that disappointing result.
A number of vital matches are on the horizon for the Nerazzurri, the first of which is tomorrow’s Coppa Italia quarter-final clash with Roma.
Securing a victory in the knockout match will be crucial for Inter’s season, and Inzaghi wants his team to come back from the weekend’s disappointment with a vengeance.
“We’re coming up against a strong team who are capable of beating anyone,” he said of Roma, “they have numerous quality players and a great coach in Jose.”
“We must show that we have a desire to avenge an unfortunate loss in the derby,” he went on.
“We know that football is made up of episodes, and Roma will also be feeling unhappy because they’re also coming off the back of a draw against Genoa when they deserved more,” he added.
The coach made clear that “The Coppa Italia is a very important objective for us, it’s part of the DNA of Inter.”
“Now we’re in the quarterfinals,” he continued, “we have an important match tomorrow. We know that with immediate progression at stake first against Empoli and then in tomorrow’s match, which will be very difficult, we have the opportunity to reach the semifinals quickly.”
Inzaghi went on that “We always feel at home in front of our fans. Tomorrow is a midweek match but we know that they will be there and that they will do their best to push us along.”
“They’ve been doing so since the beginning of the season, and we hope to reward them by qualifying for the semifinals,” he added.
“I’m fortunate to have a strong and competitive team that’s always given their best for me all season, whether for ten minutes, 45 minutes, or ninety minutes,” he continued.
“We’ve just experienced a bad defeat but we must be rational and understand that even though it happened, we must put it in perspective and keep in mind everything we’ve accomplished so far,” the coach emphasized.
“Because we must continue on as we’ve been doing the past six months,” he concluded.
