Alessandro Bastoni believes the home match against Benfica was Inter‘s best Champions League game this season and insists the Nerazzurri ‘must remain focused’ against Milan tonight.
The Italy international will start in Inter’s three-man defence against their city rivals on Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal. Simone Inzaghi’s men won the reverse fixture 2-0 last week.
“Our path has been important, many thought we had no chances in the group stage, but we qualified instead,” he said in an interview published in Tuesday’s match programme.
“The most beautiful game was against Benfica, the atmosphere was buzzing, incredible and it was even better to win.”
So, what do Inter need tonight?
“As I already said against Benfica, it’s just a football match and we must live it as such. It will be important to remain balanced because it’s going to be a harsh battle. They will want to bounce back, so must remain focused and play as we know. Unity is the strength of this team. We are aware of it and we know we can take satisfaction.”
Bastoni has played a key role for the Nerazzurri this season, playing 40 games across all competitions.
The Italy international has already been crowned European champions with Italy in 2021 and will be chasing the first Champions League Final in his career.
The product of Atalanta Academy joined Inter from La Dea in 2017 for circa €30m and spent one season on loan at Parma before joining the Benamata permanently. His contract at the Stadio Meazza expires in June 2024, but Inter are in talks to extend his stay at the club.