Matteo Darmian expressed his confidence that Inter could ‘put Manchester City in trouble’ in their Champions League.
The Nerazzurri will face off against the Cityzens at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul tomorrow night, capping off their season with the most important match in the European footballing calendar. Inter booked their spot in the final after beating rivals Milan in the semi-finals.
Manchester City are desperate to lift the trophy in Istanbul, remembering the pain of losing to Chelsea in the final in 2021. Pep Guardiola’s side have already completed two parts of the Treble, winning the Premier League and FA Cup, and are one match away from writing themselves into the history books.
Speaking in a press conference, Darmian first remembered his prior meetings with Manchester City during his time in England.
“Yes, I have met City several times, I think we all know the quality they have, they are a great team and we will have to be good, determined and careful.”
He commented on the Nerazzurri’s desire to implement their game plan in the final.
“Certainly we, as we have always done this year, will try to carry out our ideas. With those we will combine a lot of heart and a lot of sacrifice, which will be decisive factors in a game like tomorrow’s.”
The Italian defender touched on the special nature of this clash, considering his and Romelu Lukaku’s histories at Manchester United.
“For sure it will be a special game, besides being a Champions League final I played for United and it will be special. For sure we will do everything for us, for the club, for us players, for the staff and for the fans.”
He spoke about the atmosphere in the Nerazzurri dressing room.
“There are a lot of emotions, which we carry inside for such an important game. We come from a good end to the season, we are in a good moment on a physical and mental level, we will have to prove it tomorrow from the first minute.”
Darmian discussed Inter’s preparations for the Champions League final.
“We know their qualities well, we will have to be good at managing the moments. There will be phases in which we will have to go up and others in which we will have to get down.”
He spoke about the team’s desire to lift the trophy in Istanbul.
“That is the ambition, that is our goal. We all know their qualities, it will be a difficult game tomorrow but we will certainly face it with the knowledge that we are a strong team, that we can put them in trouble.”
Finally, Darmian was asked about the important of the strong Italian core in the Inter squad.
“It’s an important thing to have several Italian players. There are many of various nationalities, I think we are a great group. We are well together and there is a great harmony, we have shown it.”