Alessandro Bastoni warns Inter ‘must be realistic’ on their Champions League ambitions as they host Shakhtar Donetsk. ‘We are no longer the team that reached two Finals.’
It kicks off at San Siro on Wednesday at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).
The Nerazzurri went into the tournament with high hopes, but find themselves empty-handed after two rounds, having lost goal-packed encounters with both Real Madrid and Club Brugge.
Hosting Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk therefore feels like a must-win encounter.
Bastoni sees Inter issues
“We are obliged to get a result, otherwise the idea of finishing in the top eight becomes prohibitive,” confessed Bastoni in his press conference.
“I would just like to say on a personal note that we need to be realistic. It has been a long time since we reached the two Champions League Finals, we are no longer the same team, so we’ve got to get our feet on the ground.
“The Champions League is a dream, just as it was when we reached the Final twice in recent years. If there is an opportunity, we will try to take it, but this is the situation today and we must recognise that.”
Inter were only narrowly beaten by Manchester City in the 2023 Final, but were demolished 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in 2025.
That result also prompted the exit of coach Simone Inzaghi, with Cristian Chivu immediately taking them to the domestic double of the Scudetto and Coppa Italia.
However, Chivu’s Champions League record has been dismal, with five wins and seven defeats.
Inter have shown a marked tendency to start badly this season, often fighting back to get positive results, but still giving themselves a mountain to climb.
“I don’t think it’s due to the system, the coach or any other external factors, but it’s down to those who step onto the field,” confessed Bastoni.
“I think it is all about mentality, maybe we’ve been a bit superficial, or having an off day. We’ve all got to be honest and take our share of the responsibility, as if we analyse the bad starts, we often have individual errors.
“When it happens this often, it tends to be a mixture of variables causing it, but analysing with the coach we have rarely conceded on the counter-attack. Instead, we let in a lot of goals due to individual errors.
“However, I never saw the team go out there lacking concentration. We might think it’s harder to score past us than it really is, so we make some banal errors, so just limiting those would already be a big step forward.”
Part of the difference is that now the way Inter play, with Bastoni pushing up from centre-back to support Federico Dimarco, is well known.
“Playing like this for eight years, I am no longer a surprise, now opponents know what I and Dimarco do. We’ve got to find different solutions to spread the play, I’d have no problem playing centrally, and have already done so in our rotations.”
Bastoni had a disastrous 2026 with his red card in Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and off the field legal issues, but did his two goals in two Nations League games for the Azzurri change the perception of him?
“It’s not as if people applauded me in other stadiums before, that’s just part of supporting a team,” insisted the Inter defender.
“Maybe I have a different idea of darkness, because I didn’t experience it as badly as some might think. Nobody died, there was no grave illness. I carried on thanks to the people around me, and time heals all wounds.”