Dumfries: ‘Inter want UCL quarter-finals, but Feyenoord have nothing to lose’ | OneFootball

Denzel Dumfries warned that Inter will need to play at their ‘best’ if they want to finish the job against Feyenoord and secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals following their 2-0 first-leg win last week.

The Netherlands international predicted that the Eredivisie giants will be ‘very aggressive’ as they have ‘nothing to lose’, which is why he urged the Nerazzurri to ‘stay focused’.

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – MARCH 05: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Denzel Dumfries during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Feyenoord and FC Internazionale Milano at De Kuip on March 05, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Widely regarded as one of Inter’s best-performing players this season, the wing-back admitted to having developed a strong ‘mental focus’and said he is ‘proud’ of his growth.

Dumfries: Inter must expect a ‘very aggressive’ Feyenoord but want to reach UCL quarter-finals

“This Inter team plays well, but now we have the second half of the tie, and we have to win it,” Dumfries said at a pre-match press conference, as quoted by TMW.

“We want to reach the quarter-finals, and we need to play well.

“For me, it’s been a great season. The most important thing is to stay focused—it’s not easy to keep up the pace all year, but I’ve worked hard on this, and I’m proud of my progress.

“We want to reach the quarter-finals, and we’ve seen what Feyenoord did against Milan.

We want to show that Inter is always a top club. We have to stay focused at all times, as we saw against Monza.

“I expect a very aggressive team. They’re coming here to win and have nothing to lose. We have to be at our best to win tomorrow, so I expect a very intense match.”

epa11845813 Denzel Dumfries of Milan (L) celebrates with teammates before his goal was ruled offside and disallowed during the UEFA Champions League league phase match between Sparta Prague and Inter Milan, in Prague, Czechia, 22 January 2025. EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK

This season’s busy fixture list seems to have taken a toll on Inter, with the squad depleted by multiple injuries and the team looking fatigued at times. However, Dumfries suggested this was not the case for him.”

“No, physically I feel good. I have no problems,” he continued.

“As I said before, mental focus is very important for me. But physically, I’m fine.”

The 28-year-old also revealed that he hired a performance coach to improve his performances.

“Yes, since my time at Sparta Rotterdam,” he said.

“I’ve worked a lot throughout my career, and I’ve grown a lot. It helps me look at different aspects of football and stay in good physical condition.

“I focus on improving every game and every day. I’m happy with my current level, but I want to keep getting better.

“I don’t think it was the contract renewal. We had been talking about it for a long time, and I knew there was that intention. I have worked a lot on my mental focus, and that’s what has changed.”