Legendary former Nerazzurri and Italy defender Marco Materazzi has no doubt that Inter Milan can go deep in the Champions League.
The 2006 World Cup winner was confident when speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews.
Tomorrow, Inter’s adventure in Europe resumes.
The Nerazzurri played their last European fixture more than two months ago. But now, they will finally start their knockout campaign.
Inter have a tough tie ahead of them. They face Spanish giants Atletico Madrid over two legs.
The first leg of the tie will be at the San Siro, tomorrow evening.
Inter beat Porto at this stage of last season’s edition of the competition.
That tie was an enormously tough test, but saw the Nerazzurri prevail. And then it proved to be platform for a knockout run that saw Inter go all the way to the final of the competition.
There is certainly a long way to go if Inter are going to repeat last season’s heroics – or even go one step further and actually win the Champions League.
But for his part, former Nerazzurri defender Materazzi believes that this team has what it takes.
Materazzi: Inter Can Go Deep In Champions League Again
“At the moment, beyond the quality and depth of the squad, the cohesion of the group, the level of play shown recently, and the physical condition of the team – something they have to maintain until the end of the season – there is the incredible atmosphere at the San Siro,” Materazzi said.
“It’s not by chance that it’s always full in the league,” he continued.
“Because people are enjoying themselves. And this can be a boost to Inzaghi’s team.”
“And they’re already full of self-belief,” the former defender noted.
“Because in the final they played on even terms with a Man City team who until a few months prior were thought to be unplayable,” he noted.
“Not just for Inter. But for anyone.”
