MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan have a lot to do in the Champions League group stage against two strong sides in Bayern Munich and Barcelona and the votes of the fans will be crucial when they face the German giants, coach Simone Inzaghi said on Tuesday.
Inter are looking to bounce back from a Serie A derby defeat by AC Milan at the weekend and Inzaghi’s side open the Champions League group stage against six-time champions Bayern Munich at the San Siro on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow our fans will be a big help, we know the opponent and their strength. It’s a very competitive group but tomorrow’s game must be an opportunity after Saturday’s disappointment,” Inzaghi told reporters.
“We need to get 10 points in this group, which objectively is very difficult, even compared to last year. But we are Inter and playing Bayern is a chance. They are one of the candidates to win the cup.”
“I saw the last two (Bundesliga) games of FC Bayern (1-1 against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Union Berlin), purely mathematically (statistics) there was no match.
“Bayern have such intensity and aggressiveness, they are one of the best teams in Europe,” he added.
Inzaghi said midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan would play a role after making cameo appearances for 30 minutes after recovering from a hamstring injury, but declined to confirm if he would start.
“Mkhitaryan came off the bench very well on Saturday. He’s a quality player who will help us a lot,” said Inzaghi.
“He’s been working at full strength for a week. He can be a solution from the start or in the game. There’s one training session left, I’ll decide tomorrow.”
The proverbial ‘group of death’ means Inter will face Bayern’s Sadio Mane and Barca’s Robert Lewandowski and Inzaghi praised both strikers.
“We met Mane with Liverpool last year, he’s a great footballer with insane intensity. He does everything, both defensively and offensively,” said Inzaghi.
“Lewandowski, I met him when I was in Lazio, he’s a great player. In a month and a half we’ll meet both Bayern and Barcelona. They’ll be very difficult (games) but nice and challenging.”