Coach Inzaghi: 'Inter have 90 minutes to fulfill their dream'
"As a coach, I prepare for every match in the same way," Inzaghi said on April 15 at his pre-match press conference. "We all know tomorrow's match is one of the most important in the history of Inter."
In the first leg at San Siro, as the away team, Inter started jubilantly and led 2-0 after 11 minutes thanks to Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In the second half, Inter sagged and gave way to the opponent. But the best opportunity that Milan created was just a shot from midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Inzaghi admitted that Inter is holding a worthy advantage, but warned the students not to be subjective, to stick to the plan, to play in the right style and to appreciate the quality of Milan. The Italian coach thanked a reporter that he deserved respect when he helped Inter reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, as well as the final of the Italian Cup against Fiorentina on May 24. He also said that the team rarely reads and listens to comments on media or social networks.
"We knew we had at least 90 minutes to fulfill our dream," Inzaghi added. "We worked hard during the break, even if Inter didn't have enough numbers in time for the 2022 World Cup. We have no chance in Serie A and just focus on tomorrow's match. We are in great form and ready for a game of this caliber."
The 47-year-old coach also praised Romelu Lukaku - the striker flourished with five goals and three assists in the last five matches in Serie A, after a difficult initial period when returning to the club on loan from Chelsea. Inzaghi said that the student had problems with injuries for many months but reached his best form last month.
UEFA announced that Clement Turpin will be the referee, assisted by Nicolas Danos, Benjamin Pages and Stephanie Frappart, along with the VAR team with Jerome Brisard and Benoit Millot. Turpin is a French referee, who has been in charge of the Champions League final last season, as well as the second leg of the 1/8 round between Milan and Tottenham in North London. Inzaghi emphasized that there is no problem even though the referee is French, the compatriots of four Milan players are Mike Maignan, Olivier Giroud, Pierre Kalulu and Theo Hernandez.
Sitting next to Inzaghi, Francesco Acerbi said he and his teammates did not celebrate the 2-0 victory in the first leg because "there is still a lot of work to do in the second leg". But the Italian midfielder is confident that Inter has a great advantage and aims to continue winning today.
