Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi feels that tomorrow’s match against Porto could be the most important one of the team’s season, and that they must produce the right response in a difficult stadium.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia on the eve of tomorrow evening’s Champions League round of sixteen second leg match, via FCInterNews, the 46-year-old also made clear that criticism is just part of the coach’s job.

Inzaghi has been receiving some criticism throughout the season, and this has only been amplified by recent defeats against the likes of Bologna and Spezia in Serie A.

The timing of this is hardly ideal considering that the Nerazzurri need their full focus directed on tomorrow evening’s clash with Porto.

On the other hand, tomorrow’s match at the Estadio do Dragao could well be the ideal opportunity for Inzaghi and his players to prove themselves at a point in their season when the doubts and criticisms have grown the loudest.

Asked whether he considers tomorrow to be the most important match of the team’s season, the coach replied “Without question.”

“This season we’ve already played in a final and numerous other important matches,” he noted.

“We made it this far from a very difficult group, now we can reach the quarterfinals of this competition after a long time away, and so we’ll try to put in a great performance,” the 46-year-old said.

“We’ve played the first leg at the San Siro, and tomorrow we play at a stadium which has one of the most intense atmospheres in Europe,” he said of the do Drago’s reputation for being a cauldron for away teams to play in.

“We’ll try to play a match with complete focus, though,” Inzaghi added.

And of the criticism that he has been facing, the coach said that “Criticism is part of our job, last season we were winter champions but then we ran into some problems.”

“There have always been criticisms, it’s part of the game,” he added.

“I’ve never responded to those criticisms, let alone on the eve of such an important match for us and for our fans,” Inzaghi said.