Federico Dimarco feels ‘Inter have to be Inter’ against Manchester City in their Champions League final, believing the team ‘can do great things’.
The Nerazzurri will battle it out against the Cityzens in the most important game of the season in Istanbul on June 10. A 3-0 aggregate win over Milan in the semi-finals booked Inter’s spot in the final, whilst Manchester City flew to a 5-1 win over Real Madrid in their final four outing.
Manchester City are the favourites for the Champions League final, a match that’ll complete their Treble, but Inter are confident of their chances in the one-off match, a chance for Simone Inzaghi and his players to write themselves into the club’s history books.
Speaking in a press conference, Dimarco first discussed what it means for him and the Inter squad to be in the Champions League final.
“Inter’s history speaks for itself, it doesn’t happen every day. It’s an incredible thing and we’re really proud of ourselves.”
He touched on the mood in the dressing room ahead of the final.
“We are very happy to have reached this goal, we deserved it on the pitch and we know we are up against a strong team. For us winning this trophy is a dream, for them an obsession.”
The full back was asked about the impact of starting Romelu Lukaku or Edin Dzeko in the match.
“We’ll have to play our game, as Inter. I don’t think it’s just the attack, we’re a strong team and we’ve shown that along the way.”
Dimarco didn’t shy away from the strengths of Manchester City.
“We know they are among the best in Europe. I think Inter have to be Inter, if we do that we can take some great satisfaction.”
He touched on what needs to be done in the final.
“You have to throw your heart over the hurdle. We have to be Inter, if we are Inter we can do great things.”
The Italian was asked to rate Inter’s work in the Champions League this season.
“Ratings are given at the end of the journey, at the moment I wouldn’t give any ratings. I’d say to the fans that we will go there to give everything, we will spit blood and try to give our all until the game is over.”
Dimarco commented on if this Inter squad have the same spirit as the team that won the Treble in the 2009-10 season.
“Maybe, but they were still two different paths. Inter in 2010 were a strong team, so are we, but they had a lot of experienced players, maybe used to such games like Eto’o.
“We on the other hand are a young squad, a great group, we are living this dream that will come true on June 10 in Istanbul, hopefully with a great result.”
He spoke about the turning point for the Nerazzurri this campaign.
“When you go through a group like that with Bayern and Barcelona it’s not for everyone. Then it’s normal that the predictions change, we’ve met strong teams like Porto, Benfica, Milan, we’ve shown that we deserve this final and we’ll play it on equal terms.”
The Inter full back was asked if he had watched the 2010 Champions League final recently.
“Actually it’s not just the last few days, I’ve been watching it for ten years…. The best memories were Milito’s goals and when Zanetti lifted the cup.”
He spoke about his personal journey to the Champions League final.
“There’s a lot of emotions, now we are here preparing for this match which is the most important in Europe. I’m happy, I’ve worked hard.”
Finally, Dimarco discussed how he sleeps the night before important matches.
“I sleep well, then we lock ourselves in a room as six or seven and have fun. The next day we go on the pitch and give it our all.”