“Both Teams Are Similar, In Good Form And Are Doing Well"

Written By Onyeka Daniel

It promises to be a tough cracker at the Gewiss Stadium this Sunday when Atalanta, the team that occupies 3rd in the Serie A table welcomes Inter Milan, who are 1st on the table to their home ground for a potential title decider match, with both teams in great form currently.

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Hence, for Inter coach, Simone Inzaghi, he sees similarities between the two clubs, but expects a different team than the one they faced in the first leg. “Both teams are in good form and are doing well, I know Atalanta well and they have a great recent record in Italy and in Europe,” Inzaghi told Inter’s official website in his pre-match press conference.

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“It will be a game that we must approach as best as possible, with lots of energy, aggression and determination as we know how strong our opposition are.” Inter have won seven consecutive matches against La Dea, including a 4-0 triumph at San Siro in August 2024. “That was one of the first games of the season,” argued Inzaghi.

“The transfer market was still open, Atalanta were in a bit of a crisis, so this will be a completely different approach to the game, in the best way as the stakes are so high. We will have to concentrate a lot, and we will have to be clinical as there will be many duels and key decisions to make in the course of ninety minutes. My players will have to be clinical.”

What will Inter need to get a result in Bergamo? “We are both attacking sides with Serie A’s best forwards, therefore we need to be strong and ready to read every situation,” Inzaghi replied. “Whether it’s from open play or from a dead ball, we will need to pay constant attention. We are two great sides and we are looking to develop a modern brand of football.”

“We are both scoring a lot of goals as we both like playing attacking football.” How important will Inter’s approach be? “The approach and game management are key in football,” Inzaghi insisted. “We saw this in our last league game where we went behind as we didn’t approach the game well. Then, we did well to turn the game around but it still didn’t go as well as we would have liked.” He further added.

In a related development, former Italian striker Christian Vieri picks Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram over Mateo Retegui and Ademola Lookman and insists Inter have all it takes to win the Champions League despite his recent prediction on CBS. “After this, there are nine more matches, right?

“It’s not absolutely, absolutely, absolutely decisive, but it’s extremely important, Vieri told Gazzetta. “The title race isn’t just between two teams, and Napoli are playing away at Venezia.“If Atalanta win, those would be three very, very heavy points, even for Napoli.”

Inter are the only Serie A club still involved in three competitions, but Vieri predicted on CBS earlier this week that they would not reach the Champions League Final. “On TV, I said the Barça-PSG final because I don’t want to jinx Inter, and if I say Inter, I’ll jinx them, but now I can say it. Inter have everything to win both the league and the Champions League.”

“They have two real players, not just decent ones, for each position, and not every club in Europe has such a deep squad.” Who would he pick between Lautaro and Thuram and Lookman and Retegui? “That’s a tough one. After a deep breath, I’d say Lautaro and Thuram,” Vieri replied.

“They have more international experience and they’ve been playing at a high level for longer, even with their national teams. They’ve been ready for a few years now.” What’s his take on Lautaro? “Some losers thought he was in a crisis, and then from January, he’s scored 10 goals, including five in his last three Champions League games, just to give you an idea of his level.”

How about Lookman? “You watch him and think, ‘Oh, let’s see what he does now.’ There’s no one like him in Serie A: every time he gets the ball, he goes one-on-one, always. He’s fast and strong; he takes players on, dribbles, and shoots. Left foot or right foot, it doesn’t matter”

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What if Gasperini had said Vieri was one of the worst penalty kick tackers he had ever seen? “He couldn’t have, because it wasn’t true,” said the ex-striker. “I always say that you should take a penalty if you feel like it. And if a teammate comes over and says, ‘I feel it,’ it’s fair to let him. The only ones who miss penalties are those who take them, and if you miss once, so be it.” He concluded.

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