Tomorrow evening Inter Milan will be welcomed to the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul to contest their 11th European final against a formidable Manchester City side, with the opportunity to become champions of Europe for the first time since Jose Mourinho completed his historic treble with the Nerazzurri back in 2010.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan go into Sunday’s final off the back of a strong third placed finish in Serie A, with the side winning 11 out of 12 of their final matches. In addition, the Nerazurri recently ran out 2-1 winners over Fiorentina in the Copa Italia final as well as winning the Italian SuperCopa.
Inzaghi’s impressive track record in cups has meant that he has earned the nickname ‘King of Cups’, with the 47 year-old manager winning seven out of eight so far in his career.
While Inzaghi has an impressive record in domestic cup competitions, tomorrow’s final represents the first European final he will have been involved in as a manager. This season has already represented a significant change in fortune in Europe for Inter Milan.
The Nerazurri had previously not won a Champions League knockout game since 2011 and under their predecessor Antonio Conte had not managed to leave the group.
In contrast, this season has witnessed Inzaghi’s men convincingly triumph over Benfica, Porto, and rivals AC Milan to enter into a position where they will have the opportunity to win a third European Cup/Champion’s League and in the process write themselves into the history books of one of Italy’s greatest clubs.
Ahead of Saturday evening’s final, Inter Milan have been training at the Suning Training Centre in Appiano Gentile, north-west of Milan and just 12 kilometres from idyllic town Como.
The Nerazurri flew out to Istanbul on Thursday and have since continued their preparations, with Inzaghi sitting down to speak to the media on Friday afternoon along with three of his players: Lautaro Martinez, Matteo Darmian and Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
Team News
Inzaghi will be expected to line his side up in a 5-3-2 formation, with marauding wing backs and a hardworking midfield three, while the two up top will play off each other and look to cause City’s backline issues.
This is a similar system to that of which has frustrated Pep Guardiola’s team this season already, with losses to both Brentford and Spurs who like to employ that formation.
In respect to team news, there is positive news surrounding Henrikh Mkhitaryan who has recovered from a thigh injury in time to be able to feature in Saturday’s final. The midfielder’s last appearance came in the semi-final second leg against AC Milan, in which he picked up a thigh injury.
However, Inzaghi was keen to highlight the positive feelings around his potential selection.
He said, “We have a training session shortly, Mhiktaryan there are good feelings. We will see whether he starts or not.”
Inzaghi also added that there are doubts in other areas with Milan Skriniar yet to make an appearance from his injury that has kept him out since March.
He said, “There are still some doubts for the team . We have training soon and then we will decide.”
Lautaro Martinez also underlined how he is back to his best. The goalscorer has featured in every single Serie A and Champions League game for Inter Milan this season and is arguably their most important player and greatest attacking threat.
The World Cup winner has netted an impressive 28 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, including the goal to seal the Nerazurri’s place in the final against AC Milan.
He said "I am feeling fine. My injury issues are behind me. It has been an intense season. I had some pain before the World Cup. I am now back to my best.”
On City
Inzaghi also discussed Manchester City, describing how the team that Inter will face in the final are the best team in the world right now. Their opposition, led by Pep Guardiola, have a formidable season yet again in England where once more they confirmed their invincibility in English football, winning their third consecutive title and second FA Cup under Pep.
However, for Inzaghi the emphasis is on the football his side need to player, with total focus and resolute defensive work.
He said, “We know the match we need to play. We know City are a top team.They are the best team in the world right night. They have proved this even when they have lost. We are proud to be here at this stage, we will give our all, we will play with total focus and need to limit errors. We are facing a very strong side.
"City have a strong defence, they afford very few chances, we need to be at our best, they are a very complete side, we know what team we will face tommorow. We need to be up to the standard.”
In addition, the Inter Milan manager spoke of Erling Haaland, who has scored 52 goals and 9 assists in an incredible debut season at City. Inzaghi underlined his threat and ability but also mentioned City’s other game winners, in an attack that includes the likes of Kevin DeBruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Alvarez and Riyhad Mahrez.
He said, “We all know what a great player he is and how strong city are he will be marked tightly however we will keep a close eye on all the city players. We need to stop Harland and also the other players.”
On the opportunity to write history
As mentioned this will be Inter Milan’s first final since their treble triumph under Jose Mourinho back in 2010. While, this Inter side may not be able to secure a domestic treble there is still plenty of opportunity to make incredible history for the club as well as draw themselves closer to their city rivals record of seven Champions Leagues.
Inzaghi spoke of the magnitude of the game, he said; “We know this is a date with history. We have a big chance to write history. It will be extremely hard to win. However we will work as one to make it happen. We have got here thanks to our team work.
"We are all calm and ready for this moment, it’s almost upon us. The tension levels will keep on rising, however we are ready and cannot wait. I want to thank the fans for their support too. They have been incredible all season long. I will not forget their support this season in Europe. We need to give our all for the fans and this club.”
In addition, Inzaghi, who has won seven domestic cups in Italy, was asked about his secret to success. However, he was keen to highlight his players as the key, with his side including a host of proven internationals including World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez and finalist Milan Skriniar, as well as former European winner Mkhitaryan.
“There is no secret. I am lucky to coach top players I am lucky to have players with experience. We have players who have been around the block, who have won a lot of trophies. We need to be at our best tomorrow and the fine details will be key for winning.”
On flying the flag for Italy
Inzaghi also spoke of the positive signs for Italian football, with all three finals involving Italian teams this year. Roma represented Italy in the Europa League final while in the Conference League Fiorentina played West Ham.
In addition, Inzaghi’s side have only faced Italian opposition since the last 16 with ties against league champions Napoli and eventual 4th placed rivals AC Milan.
The success of Italian sides represents the resurgence their league has gone under, with increased competition to both the league title, in which the winner has alternated for the last three seasons, a stark contrast to Juventus’ previous ten year dominance of the title.
“We want to fly the flag for Serie A and Italy. I am sorry Roma and Fiorentina lost. They played two great games. Sadly they lost those matches we need to focus soon ourselves and our match. Serie A sides have done very well to reach all finals. This is a very strong message and sign.”
Matteo Darmian on City
Former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian also weighed in on the enormity of the occasion, and how Inter Milan will have to be at their very best to win the game.
"We are all excited for this moment, we had a great run and we are doing well physically. We are feeling good mentally too. We need to keep this up and prove this tomorrow we need to be with the right determination."
However, for Darmian the key is to have faith in his own abilities and that of his side. Inter Milan worked their way out of a difficult group that included both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, before beating the reigning Portuguese champions and last years Serie A winning side.
He said, “We all know how strong Man City are, we need to make the right decisions. We will need to drop deep and press high at times, we will need the right balance. Our aim is to win. We are aiming to win, we know it will be a tough game. We will play with confidence, we have faith in our abilities. We know we can make life hard for City. We are a great team, we are a great group."
Lautaro Martinez on the final
Inter Milan’s top scorer Lautaro Martinez also spoke of what the final represents for him, as he has the opportunity to win both major honours of the World Cup and Champions League in the same season, after Argentina’s triumph in Qatar in December.
He said, ”These are the two major finals a footballer can play. The only thing that changes is the shirt. The feelings you get are truly unique because you know you have made it to the very end. We are here thanks to work and determination."
For Martinez tomorrow’s final represents the final step to achieve an incredible season for himself and his club.
He said, ”We have worked hard as a group, the team is what matters most. We need to work as one to win. We are one step from the win. If you want to achieve your goals this is the very last step and we need to be ready to take it. It's clearly a very important game for Inter and the club.”