Inzaghi: maximum respect for Barcelona, but no fear
Despite a poor run of form that has seen Inter lose three consecutive matches and fall out of contention for a treble, Inzaghi struck a defiant tone ahead of the clash at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.
Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi says his side hold Barcelona in high regard but will not be overawed when the two clubs meet in their Champions League semi-final first leg on 30 april.
Despite a poor run of form that has seen Inter lose three consecutive matches and fall out of contention for a treble, Inzaghi struck a defiant tone ahead of the clash at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium.
"We must give great credit to Barcelona. They have incredible numbers, have already won two trophies and are competing for two more. So we have maximum respect, but no fear," said Inzaghi at his pre-match press conference on 29 april.
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"They are one of the biggest sides in Europe — along with Bayern, Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City — but we've made an outstanding run to reach this stage. Now we want to play these two matches and go through."
Inter knocked out Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals but then slumped in Serie A, losing back-to-back games to fall behind Napoli in the title race. A Coppa Italia semi-final defeat to city rivals AC Milan further dented their domestic campaign.
Inzaghi, however, insisted that recent setbacks should not overshadow the progress his side have made since he took charge in 2021. Under his management, Inter won Serie A last season and reached the Champions League final in 2023, where they lost narrowly to Manchester City.
"We're coming off an ugly week, but it doesn't erase the work we've done. That said, we know we had to do better," he admitted. "We've analysed what went wrong. But when it comes to commitment and devotion to the shirt, the players cannot be faulted — they've given everything."
Inter were without Marcus Thuram for all three defeats. The French forward last played in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern on 16 april and has been sidelined with a thigh issue.
Inzaghi hopes the 17-goal striker can feature in some capacity against Barcelona, even if not from the start.
"We thought we might have Thuram back against Roma, but it wasn't possible," said Inzaghi. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow morning."
The coach confirmed Benjamin Pavard remains unavailable due to an ankle injury, but both Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries are fit and in contention for the first leg.
Inter, three-time European champions, are aiming to reach back-to-back Champions League finals for the first time since 1967.
