Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni feels that the Nerazzurri’s aim is still to top their Champions League group.
The Italian international spoke to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInterNews. He made clear that the team are not happy with just reaching the knockout stage.
It is now certain that Inter will be playing in the Champions League round of sixteen for a third season in a row.
This evening’s group stage victory over Red Bull Salzburg makes sure of that.
What’s not yet certain, however, is whether the Nerazzurri will finish first or second in their group.
Naturally, finishing top of the group would be an advantage because it would mean facing a team that finished second in the next round.
Obviously, there is no guarantee that this would make for an easier round of sixteen tie.
But there is still plenty of motivation to go for it.
And the Nerazzurri have tough competition for that top spot.
Real Sociedad are level on points with Inter as things stand. Both teams have ten points after four matches played.
And the La Liga team gave Inter a hugely difficult match in their group stage opener. So they won’t be expecting any different on the final match of the group.
Inter Defender Alessandro Bastoni: Want To Top Champions League Group
After this evening’s win over Salzburg, Bastoni said that “We’re happy because Salzburg are a good team.”
“We knew what they’re capable of. And we did well to keep them at bay.”
“In the first half they ran intensely,” he noted.
“And then we took things further. We went from just holding them off to ultimately killing off the match.”
As far as how the Nerazzurri have gained a newfound mentality, Bastoni said that “[Last season’s Champions League] final in Istanbul certainly left a big impression on us.”
“It made us understand that if we stick together and stay compact we can compete with anyone.”
“And the players who have been here a while made the new arrivals understand what it means to play for Inter,” the 24-year-old added.
“We’re Inter, and we want to succeed.”
“After the break we have Benfica, Juventus ,and Napoli, all away,” Bastoni noted.
“Qualifying for the knockout rounds gives us peace of mind,” he added.
“But we still want to finish top of our group. So we’ll definitely give our all in the remaining matches in the group.”
