Having suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of eternal rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, Inter will look to make amends when they take on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League opener. The Nerazzurri are plotted alongside the German powerhouse, Spanish giants Barcelona and Czech Republic champions Viktoria Plzen.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi believes it to be a wonderful opportunity to better their performance and also shed light on a plethora of other topics, including the pressure of dealing with Sadio Mané and Bayern’s prowess, in the pre-match press conference (via FCInterNews).
“It will be very important to have fans at the stadium. Tomorrow they will be of great help, we know the opponent we meet and what strengths they have. The group is very, very competitive. Tomorrow must be an opportunity after the disappointment suffered in the derby.”
Inzaghi also spoke of how the Champions League clash can be the turning point already for Inter.
“Defeats must become opportunities. Clearly, we analyzed Saturday’s game. There were times when we did better, but we only managed to score two goals. We have to work harder, starting with me.”
He was then quizzed as to who is a more dangerous player – Mané or Robert Lewandowski, with Inzaghi’s side to take on them both in succession in the group stages.
“We faced Mané when he was at Liverpool last season. He’s a player with insane intensity that impacts both phases of the game. Lewandowski is a great player, we will meet them both four times in a month and a half. They will all be challenging matches.”
The ex-Lazio tactician then stook stock of Bayern Munich coming into the match.
“I have seen the last two tilts, where they were no match for the opponents in terms of stats. The adversaries werer try to limit them by being aggressive, but they have an intensity that makes them one of the best in Europe.”
Inter and Bayern have collided on seven previous occasions on the European stage, with both sides sharing three victories apiece. It is touted to be a high-scoring clash, with Inter’s last ten games against German sides in the UEFA Champions League witnessing a total of 39 goals scored.
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