Inter defender Francesco Acerbi anticipates that he and his teammates will have to balance their approach in tomorrow evening’s Champions League round of sixteen first leg against Porto.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the match, as reported by FCInterNews, the 35-year-old gave his thoughts ahead of the knockout clash, praising Porto’s quality and experience.

Inter face one of the most important matches in the context of their season tomorrow, and it will not be easy against a Porto team who have proven to be extremely formidable in Europe under coach Sergio Conceicao.

The Nerazzurri will have to find a way to impose themselves on the match, but without becoming over-confident or leaving gaps for the Portuguese champions to exploit.

For his part, Acerbi is hardly underestimating the difficulty of playing against this Porto side.

“It will be a tough match tomorrow, we know their quality,” the defender said.

“They’re a team used to playing in these competitions, they have physicality and quality.”

Acerbi noted that “They’ve been playing together for years.”

“We’re always trying to improve and be balanced, not suffering too much in these matches, particularly as with the quality we have up front we can always find the solutions in these matches.”

Looking back to the team’s Serie A win over Udinese on Saturday, Acerbi said that “We had a good first half, then we gave them a little too much space and even risked losing.”

“That’s where we need to have more balance, but it’s a matter of everyone giving their all and trying to score goals.”

“When we win then everything’s fine, but we also have to analyze and find ways to have balance for ninety minutes, we know that the goals can always come and that matches last 95 minutes.”

As for how to prepare for matches like tomorrow’s, Acerbi replied that “Mentally, they prepare for themselves.”

“We want to get a great result in front of our fans, the details will make the difference and we have to be balanced.”

Of the difference between playing with Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcelo Brozovic in the regista position, Acerbi said that “They’re two top-level players. Brozovic is excellent in the role when he’s fit, but Calhanoglu has also been doing very well there.”

“They both play the position well, and both are important for us,” he stressed.

Asked if coach Simone Inzaghi has changed much since coaching Lazio, Acerbi remarked that “He’s the same coach as ever, as he should be.”

“If anything, he’s become even better since then,” the defender added with a smile, “he’s very good at remaining calm while still conveying energy.”