Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi was full of praise for Bayer Leverkusen when speaking ahead of their Champions League tie, acknowledging that his team must be at their best to match the quality of their opponents.
Tuesday’s matchup at the Bay Arena in Leverkusen will see the reigning Bundesliga champions square up against the defending champions of Italy in what is certainly set to be a fascinating encounter.
Inter currently occupy second place on the newly revamped Champions League table, while their hosts sit in sixth place. However, Inzaghi is well aware of Leverkusen’s recent strong form and is under no illusion about the difficult test that awaits.
“We’re playing against a team who boast absolute quality, one that has won the last five games and only lost three matches in the past year and a half,” Inzaghi told reporters on Monday.
“They’re on a great run, and we’ve prepared in the best possible way. We know the importance of the match.”
Quizzed about the Nerazzurri’s strong position on the Champions League table, the Italian tactician insisted that they were not taking anything for granted.
“We all know the path we’re on. We want to keep going, knowing we’re facing a strong opponent for sure. We’ll need to be at our best,” he said.
“Leverkusen have great quality, so it’s important to continue that momentum and show our determination.
“They come at you very quickly when they lose the ball. You have to do well in both phases against them.”
Inter have suffered huge blows in defense ahead of Tuesday’s match, with key defender Denzel Dumfries coming down with high fever. Alessandro Bastoni is also a doubt after that injury scare against Parma in the Serie A.
“Dumfries had a fever of 38 Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) today, so he couldn’t train or come here,” Inzaghi said.
“In defence, the absences of him, Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi complicate things.
“We have some players absent as everyone does at the moment. But I have total confidence in everyone.”
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