Former Nerazzurri and Italy defender Marco Materazzi feels that Inter Milan have gained a sense of superiority from reaching last season’s Champions League final.
Materazzi spoke to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, via FCInterNews, about his former team.
Inter have their first chance at silverware for this season against Napoli this evening.
The Nerazzurri will be fighting for the Supercoppa Italiana, a trophy that they have won in each of the past two seasons.
Inter are also fighting for the Serie A title.
The Nerazzurri are currently behind Juventus in the table after the Bianconeri’s victory over Lecce yesterday. However, Inter have a game in hand – and they will meet their direct rivals in less than two weeks.
And in Europe, Inter face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of sixteen in right around a month.
Materazzi: Inter Have Gained “Security” From Champions League Final
Inter’s positive first half of the current season follows a very positive conclusion to the last one.
The Nerazzurri had been in erratic form for long periods of last season. But over the run-in, they booked their place in the Champions League final.
Inter lost the match by a 0-1 scoreline. However, the Nerazzurri went toe-to-toe with Premier League juggernauts Manchester City for the entire match.
As far as Inter’s prospects in the Supercoppa final, Materazzi said that “It’s a final.”
“There are no favourites,” he continued. “Maybe there can be one that’s slightly more of a percentage.”
“Inter have a lot of confidence,” Materazzi continued.
“But it doesn’t come from their performance in the semifinal. It comes from the final in Istanbul, that sense of security.”
“They’re a team that enjoy playing football, and they do so incredibly.”
“The only regret from the semifinal is that they didn’t score more goals,” Materazzi added.
“When you start finding yourself in front of goal seven or eight times in a match, it can start to feel like training.”
