Inzaghi: "Every game is difficult. Proud of our campaign" | OneFootball

After the 2-0 win in the Netherlands. Inter are preparing to take on Feyenoord in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie. The game at San Siro kicks off at 21:00 CET on Tuesday 11 March. Live from the BPER Training Centre in Appiano Gentile, Simone Inzaghi and Denzel Dumfries will give the pre-match press conference. What goes through the mind of a Coach who is 19 games away from winning all three trophies. What state of mind do you have? "My state of mind is good, but I am focused on tomorrow because after the match against Monza, we know that every game is difficult, especially in the Champions League". How will you approach this game? Are there doubts about the team? "I'll have to see how the players are doing psychologically and physically, we have some little problems. De Vrij and Lautaro didn't come out with us, but I have a good feeling and I will see about including them. Zielinski has had an injury at a difficult moment. I am sorry for him, but we will wait and see as we have done with other players".

Even though they're not in the best condition, will Thuram and Calhanoglu be well enough to feature? "Marcus has been dealing with an issue which has caused him problems for a month or so, he's not been training as much as usual, he is playing with painkillers and giving us a huge hand. He took part in a separate training session today and I'll see about him tomorrow. We will see who will start up front". Tommorrow you take on Feyenoord, you're in Bergamo on Sunday evening and Napoli continue to follow closely behind. Is it more of a problem or motivation? "We have to be proud of what we're doing. I always give kudos to the lads because they find lots of energy. We've played lots of matches more and we can't forget that last year we qualified for the Round of 16 on 6-7 November, while we qualified for it at the end of January this time round, so there's a bit more tension in all competitions. We know that tomorrow will be our 20th game of 2025".

Two years ago, you managed to secure a large winning streak, making the most of rotating your team. Can it be an example to follow? "The Champions League two years ago was different, we qualified relatively early. This season, there are two extra matches, but rotating is essential for us at the moment. We have to play these two games in the best way possible and then with the international break we can try to recover some physical and mental energy".

Tomorrow will be your 200th match in the Inter dugout. "I'm proud, 200 matches are a lot, I want to thank the club and players. We move forward knowing that it's an important achievement".

Will Sommer be back? Do you expect Taremi to give something else? "Sommer will play tomorrow. He's a goalkeeper who has done brilliant things, but I must say that Martinez has played very well. Taremi is trying to give us a hand, he works really well in the group. He's looking for goals and tomorrow could be a brilliant chance for him".

How do you feel given that Feyenoord missed out a league game? What do you think of Dumfries at the moment? "This is the rule and they did well to make the most of it. I must compliment Dumfries for the displays he has put in for Inter. He's a brilliant player who always wants to improve, he is a great professional, who always wants to see the individual and team clips to improve".

Aside from the injury, do you think Thuram has experienced a dip in form? "I'd like him to do this physical work, but in the last month, he hasn't had the chance to do much. I'm assessing him to see if he can start or he'll come off the bench. The dip in form is purely down to his slight injury, he's a true professional and never gives up". Dimarco might not be there for the Atalanta game, Thuram is injured but both might go away with their national sides. What do you make of that? "I don't tend to look into these things, we know that they both have some problems, but we're only thinking about tomorrow. We will assess their conditions, but the federations will take with Inter".