Inter President Beppe Marotta warns ‘there are no easy teams’ and they must ‘learn the lessons’ of their Champions League games when hosting Shakhtar Donetsk.
It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).
The Nerazzurri won the domestic double last season of Scudetto and Coppa Italia, but their Champions League record has been dismal, losing seven of their last eight matches in the competition.
It is particularly extraordinary considering this is the club that reached the Final in 2023 and 2025.
Marotta wants Inter on their toes
“We want the points too, but I feel that we need to point out the last 10 years as seen a cultural growth of the clubs who were second and third seeds in terms of performance and tactical organisation,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
“They are well-prepared, and that is the difference from previous years. That is also true at international level, there are no easy teams you can walk over anymore like in the 1980s.
“Quality alone is not enough anymore, it must be accompanied by intensity, strength and a series of values.”
Individual errors proved costly in the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid and the 4-3 home loss to Club Brugge, where they conceded goals far too cheaply.
“Clearly, we must learn the lessons of the first two games. We struggled for much of the Club Brugge match, and this ought to show us how to approach a team that on paper is inferior, but can cause problems if underestimated,” added Marotta.
Lautaro Martinez will be out for several weeks, with Benjamin Pavard, Curtis Jones and John Stones also on the treatment table.
It was pointed out to the Inter President that they are currently lacking a leader in defence who can set the tempo and get everyone moving simultaneously.
“I agree, this is certainly not an alibi, but we lost four players in that area and replacing them was by no means easy,” replied Marotta.
“Some had reached a certain age, while Denzel Dumfries went to Real Madrid. Having said that, I don’t feel we should put all the blame on the defenders, as the rest of the team has to work to help out too.”