Inter have cruise control of the tie against Benfica, having beaten them 2-0 at the Estadio Da Luz last week. Despite the fact that the Nerazzurri will kick off with an advantage, coach Simone Inzaghi knows exactly what awaits his side at home.
On the eve of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash, Inzaghi spoke up regarding the high-profile encounter.
“It’s the second half of a very important match. We start with an advantage but we know the value of the opponent. It will be complicated and we’ll have to be good, knowing that we could be one of the top four teams in Europe and that would be a great achievement.” (via Calciomercato)
Inzaghi stands the chance to become only the fourth manager in Inter’s history to lead the club into the UCL semis.
“Helenio Herrera, Giuseppe Invernizzi, José Mourinho – they are three very great coaches and they managed to reach the semi-finals. As far as the team and I are concerned we know what it was, we know our path in the cups and we know that in the league we are not in the situation we wanted at the beginning. Now our focus is tomorrow night’s tilt, we’ll have to play a game in the best possible way against an opponent of great value, who like Inter are down in results but not in terms of play. Benfica had lost two games in one year, now they have lost three in one week.”
Inter come into the clash following a 1-0 defeat at home to Monza, and Inzaghi seeks to make a winning return.
“We’re coming off a defeat in the league, but that’s the past. We know we’ll have to be good and intense, Benfica are a team that runs and covers the pitch well. We will have to do the same make them dangerous team and create a lot”.
Benfica have already won away to Italian opposition in the UCL this season, beating Juventus 2-1 during the group stages. However, they remain winless in four H2H meetings with the Nerazzurri (D1, L3).
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |