Inzaghi: "We deserve to be here. Ready to battle" | OneFootball

It's the eve of Bayern Munich vs. Inter, UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg. Inter, following their training session at the BPER Training Centre in Appiano Gentile, headed the Munich. The match is scheduled for Tuesday 8 April at 21:00 CEST at the Allianz Arena. Simone Inzaghi spoke in the pre-match press conference from the stadium in Munich. Will the energy of the Champions League be enough to overcome the difficulties at the moment? "We know how our journey has been, we're not happy with the draw against Parma, we wanted to win but they came back in the second half. Tomorrow, we will face a great side, who I believe are the favourites for the tie, the lads know everything about what we have given to be here, we deserved to be in the quarter-finals. We have to approach this as a team and try to get a result at a difficult stadium to visit". Where is the line between dreaming and the fear of not winning? "We must concentrate at all time. Everything and anything has been said, I could've told Farris that Parma's first four changes were forced, but it's a movie we've seen before: they were four changes that were forced due to injuries, they weren't made up. I wanted to see what was said in the following days. Unfortunately, as per usual, too much was said".

How are Bastoni, Calhanoglu and Dimarco getting on? "Calhanoglu took a known, he has some pain but I think he will make it. Bastoni is more likely than not, Dimarco is less likely. In terms of Lautaro, we agreed that he wouldn't play more than 45 minutes on Sunday, he suffered an injury that would have put him out for three weeks, but he played 16 days later. On Saturday we managed to make a change by choice and Arnautovic came on. I've made it clear. The draw against Parma hurts because we could've won".

Bologna play Napoli tonight, will you be thinking about Bayern? "Bologna vs. Napoli will be a great game between two sides who are playing well, but we don't have time to think about things that we cannot affect, we're only thinking about Bayern, and then we will think about the league again".

Two years ago, you said that Bayern were unplayable, do you feel that Inter have closed the gap? "With respect to two and a half years ago, we have grown. The gap in the budget is clear to everyone, but in the regular season, we have done better than they have. Bayern play a brilliant style of football and have a great coach who is doing great things here in Munich".

Do you expect a more intense Bayern side? "It's one of their characteristics, they have always played with intensity when I have faced them. They have great players and have some important players missing, like us. We have five absences: Asllani and Correa won't be there, then we are also missing Zielinski, Taremi and Dumfries. We have to show that we are together and everyone will need to take part, there will be moments in which we will all suffer".

There's a lot of talk about Muller as he will retire with the Bavarian side. What do you think about this? "He's a champions, he's won so many titles and deserved them. He's the number one when it comes to intensity, I rate him a lot. He's created a lot of problems for me whenever I have faced him".

How big will Musiala's absence be for Bayern? "We're talking about a huge talent, one of the best around: he's a big miss for Bayern, but when you see that they can then play Gnabry and Muller instead, you understand how good they are".

When Inter won the second star, the club spoke about the priority given to the league. This time it hasn't, what changes for you? "Nothing changes, we've won six titles and it could've been eight. I am proud of what we have done and what we can do. My side should be applauded even more because we had some problems two months ago. I've got 14 players available, and there's been a lot of talk about Bayern's absences, but we move forward knowing that we will face a huge challenge tomorrow, with great confidence and the knowledge that we will always need to be organised and determined".

How hard is it for Italian football to close the gap with teams like Bayern? "It's really difficult. For us, it's been easy to stay competitive at all times. There's been a downsizing in the budget, but Inter have stayed near the top thanks to these brilliant players and our club. Staying so competitive with the downsizing seen in these four years is like having won another trophy. It's a source of pride for everyone, myself first, but I am thinking about the whole club".