Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni has opened up about the Nerazzurri’s upcoming Champions League final clash with Man City, as well as the possibility of playing alongside current Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini.

The 24-year-old sat down with Italian broadcaster DAZN for an interview, via FCInterNews.

Inter are set for one of their biggest challenges, and perhaps their outright biggest, against City this month.

Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens are considered to be perhaps the strongest team in Europe right now.

However, Bastoni feels, the Nerazzurri have every reason to be confident.

Bastoni: Man City Scary, But We’re Confident

“No matter who you are, facing City is scary,” Bastoni said.

“I’m a big fan of Guardiola, so I watch them frequently,” he noted. “They have few weak points.”

He reiterated that “They’re a scary team.”

While it now looks clear that Bastoni will extend his Inter contract, Man City have in fact been courting the defender.

Bastoni noted that “We’re going to Istanbul very confident.”

“In a press conference before Benfica, I said that it was a football match and had to be experienced as such,” he said of the latter stages of the Champions League.

“The same with the Euroderby against Milan.”

“Let’s go out and do our job,” Bastoni said. “We did well to keep our heads and attack in the first leg. I think that was the key to success.”

“Everyone goes through these things their own way,” he reflected. “During the week I tried to think about it as little as possible, even if in Milan everyone was talking about it after the quarterfinals.”

“The important thing was to stay as clear-headed as possible.”

“We’re in good form, this is a confident moment for us,” Bastoni said.

Bastoni Would Like Scalvini As A Teammate

Next, Bastoni was also asked about any young players he’s a particularly big fan of.

He replied, “Scalvini.”

19-year-old Atalanta star Scalvini has in some respects trod a similar path to Bastoni, who also broke out young at Atalanta. The Nerazzurri reportedly want to bring Scalvini to the San Siro as they did Bastoni.

“I saw that he said he’s a big fan of me,” Bastoni said of the Atalanta defender. “Now who knows, maybe we’ll be teammates both here and with the national team.

Simone Inzaghi “Cup Specialist” Who “Gives You Peace Of Mind”

Bastoni also talked about what it means to play in big finals for Inter.

He looked back that “I was lucky, or unlucky, to reach the Europa League final in my first season here.”

“Everyone says you have to be used to playing them, and that’s when I realized that’s the case.”

Bastoni added, “Thanks to us, to the staff, over the last four years we’ve played for and won a lot. And we hope to keep going at the same rate.”

Asked about coach Simone Inzaghi’s reputation as a master in cup competitions, Bastoni said that “He gives you peace of mind. Normally you expect a certain agitation or anxiety.”

“Instead he makes you calm during these matches,” the 23-year-old said of how Inzaghi prepares for knockout matches.

Bastoni also opened up about how Inter have turned around their season after some rough patches.

“In difficult times, the important thing is to have a solid group,” he said. “Which means that they’re not afraid to tell each other what they think and eventually confront each other to resolve things.”

“We sat down and tried to understand things,” he noted. “Greatness lies in doing that and overcoming the difficulties”.