MY ACCOUNT
Simone Inzaghi knows Inter must use their “heads and our hearts” against Benfica when the pair meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Serie A heavyweights travel to Lisbon on Tuesday for the first leg of their last-eight clash against the Primeira Liga leaders.
Roger Schmidt’s hosts are unbeaten in Europe this season and have lost just three times in all competitions, though they come into the game on the back of a domestic defeat to Porto.
The task in hand for Inter looks a difficult one, particularly amid their own mixed domestic form, but Inzaghi believes they can prevail if they play intelligently.
“We know the importance of this match,” he said at Monday’s pre-match press conference. “We have had a great, difficult journey [to get here]. They are a quality opponent. It won’t be easy.
“It will be a game in which we alternate between attack and defence. Benfica are not obsessed with pressing. We will have to use our heads and our hearts.
“They are a quality team, with technically gifted players. They occupy the spaces well, and they run a lot. We’ll have to be good at playing our game.
“They have lost two games this season. They are a team with absolute value. But up against them, there will be an Inter team who know what they want and what they have to do.”
Inter arrive looking to break a six-match winless run that includes the second leg of their last-16 win over Porto in the Champions League.
Their indifferent form, including a draw with Salernitana on Friday, has seen them slip to fifth in Serie A and leaves them at risk of missing out on top-tier European competition next season.
