MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 02: Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale, looks on from the dugout prior to the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Simone Inzaghi insists that Inter have to ‘forget about the result of the first leg’ of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, but not about the performance they put in at the Allianz Arena as the teams prepare to face off for the decider in San Siro on Wednesday night.
Inter lead the tie by a 2-1 margin thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Davide Frattesi in Bavaria last Tuesday, and now require a draw to progress past Bayern and qualify for the Champions League semi-final, where either Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund will be waiting.
Inzaghi is aware that the quarter-final tie is far from over despite an encouraging performance and result in the first leg, and insists that it will still be a ‘difficult’ night against the Bundesliga leaders, even if they have several players missing through injury.
Inzaghi: Inter must ‘forget about the result, but not the performance’
“I would say that there’s more tension than pride given how the season is developing,” Inzaghi said when asked how proud he is of Inter’s success this season during his pre-match press conference.
“We know that it will be really difficult tomorrow. We have to forget about the result of the first leg, but not the performance we put in in Munich.
“We had a great game, but we know that our opponents have a lot of quality. We will have to play a great game, running, aggressiveness, with the right attitude. It’s a quarter-final, the first half was played in Munich and tomorrow we’ll have the second.”
Inter are still alive in the Serie A title race, which they lead by a three-point margin, and in the Coppa Italia as well as the Champions League, but Inzaghi feels that the team’s packed fixture list has become a burden.
“We know it’s a tiring season, but playing every three or four days can add to that. We had the new Champions League this year, new for us coaches and the players. It took away a lot of additional energy.
“Just think about last year’s journey: We qualified in Salzburg on November 8, while this year we had to wait until January 29 against Monaco. For two months in advance last year, we only had one goal to focus on. Now there is a lot more effort, but a lot more satisfaction.”
Asked if there are any areas where Inter can improve after the first leg against Bayern, Inzaghi replied: “The boys were great. There were moments where we could have been more aggressive out of possession, and we could have been a bit meaner in possession once we’d got through the pressure.
“Like I said at the beginning, we can’t think about the result, just about the performance we gave. We don’t have to look at precedents, which have not always been positive when Inter host Bayern here in San Siro. The boys are positive, though, and the team knows that we will play against a great opponent. We respect them, but we can have a great game with the right attitude.”
The media asked Inzaghi about the role that he expects Thomas Müller to play.
He replied: “We know Müller, he came on and scored in the first leg, he played an excellent game on Sunday.
“But we know what sort of team Bayern is. Sane was cautioned in the first leg, and if he hadn’t been there, then it would have been Coman or Gnabry. It’s a team with lots of established, talented, young, aggressive players. It will take a big performance, like in the first leg.
“It was definitely a very good first half, but when it comes to two-legged games, you have to be really cautious. We did very well in Munich, you have to be good to win there, so we are happy, but we know that it wasn’t the final, and we will have to play a great game against one of the strongest teams in the world, level with Real.”
Inzaghi also revealed that he has been drilling his players in penalty kicks, just in case the second leg goes all the way to a shootout.
“Always when there’s a knockout game. And with the five changes, you have to pay more attention to those who don’t start the game,” he said.
