New Delhi: As Inter Milan prepare for one of their biggest games of the season, Simone Inzaghi’s men have been handed a star reality check in the last couple of weeks. Inter will lock horns with a spirited FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League 2024-25 semi-final at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on Thursday. They head into the all-important clash on the back of three defeats in their last three matches, across competitions.
Inter Milan have enjoyed a phenomenal season so far and were dreaming of a treble earlier this month as they sat comfortably on top of the Serie A table, while fighting for the Coppa Italia and the Champions League. However, a crushing 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals AC Milan saw them crash out of the Coppa, before they lost to Roma on Sunday to suffer their second consecutive defeat in the Serie A.
Back-to-back defeats against Bologna and Roma saw Inter fall to the second spot on the Serie A table as Napoli climbed to the top spot with a three-point lead. With only four matches remaining in the Italian league, Inter are now staring at the possibility of ending the season without a single major trophy. It is the first time since 2017 that the Italian giants have lost three matches in a row across all competitions.
Inter Milan face stern test against Barcelona
Inter need to forget the past couple of weeks as they aim to spark a turnaround against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. Inter, who lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League 2022-23 final, would be looking to edge closer to a spot in their second final in the last three seasons.
But with momentum not on their side, it will take a special effort from Inter to upstage Barca, who head into the game after beating Real Madrid 3-2 to clinch the Copa del Rey. Acknowledging his team’s recent dip in form, Inzaghi has urged his players to forget what unfolded in the last couple of weeks and focus on the job at hand as they prepare for their biggest game of the season so far.
“Forget everything about the last week. For four years, these players have done extraordinary things and they keep doing them. The last week doesn’t delete that work. It’s been a great season. We’ve analysed the last three games. We have to do better, but after four years we’re [still] here competing,” Inzaghi said in the pre-match press conference.
Inzaghi explains how Inter can overcome Barcelona
One of the best coaches in the world at present, Inzaghi has done some terrific work at Inter Milan since taking over in 2021. He has won the Serie A title once and two Coppa Italias while taking Inter to the final of the Champions League in 2023. Inzaghi was full of praise for Barcelona coach Hansi Flick for the work he has done at the club, but insisted his team needs to be technically solid and clinical to come out on top.
“We are against probably the best team in the world right now. We must be very clean technically. We need a lot of components to be in place to be able to compete against such a strong team,” said Inzaghi.
Inzaghi oozed confidence as he spoke highly about his team, reminding others of how Inter Milan upstaged Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals despite being the underdogs. Inter Milan have been a resolute, cohesive unit so far this season and would require a clinical display against Barcelona to inch a step closer to their Champions League dream.
“Flick is a great coach who has organised the team really well in attack. They get the ball back quickly when they lose it. They have excellent forwards, midfielders and a ton of players who have come through the academy,” said Inzaghi.
“So maximum respect, but no fear, we will look them in the eye, like we did against Bayern [Munich in the quarterfinal]. There are great teams in the competition, but we want to have our say,” he added.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan head into the all-important first leg of the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona on the back of three defeats in their last three games. Can Inzaghi and Inter turn it around against Barcelona? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
