Alessio Dionisi is prepared for a long and difficult Serie A clash against Inter, accepting that Sassuolo ‘start as underdogs’.
The Nerazzurri secured a key 2-0 win over intercity rivals Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final derby, and before the second leg they’ll host Sassuolo at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Sassuolo have looked inconsistent this season, starting the campaign in terrible form before recovering after the Christmas break, putting them 13th in the Serie A table with four games left to play.
When these two teams met back in October, the Nerazzurri secured a tense 2-1 win over the Neroverdi.
Speaking in a press conference, Dionisi first discussed the threats Sassuolo are facing against Inter.
“We face Inter in one of their best moments, which was not the case in the first match. It is not easy to face Inter now, even before the first match the performances were positive, I think of Fiorentina, they had created so much.
“We know that it will be very difficult but also very challenging because we play against one of the favourites, one of the strongest in our league, a Champions League semi-finalist, this says a lot about their quality. We are motivated, knowing that we start as underdogs.”
He touched on the health and form of his Neroverdi squad heading into the match.
“We are in a good moment. We worked a lot, the guys don’t want to rest. Having worked so much, there is a risk of having a run out, in some respects we allowed ourselves that at Salerno, tomorrow we can’t afford it.
“We recover Pinamonti who was disqualified, alas, but I don’t want to reopen a chapter I don’t like. We slowly recover Muldur, who was already on the bench with Bologna, he’s available, he’s back with the team and this is good news after a troubled season, he will be called up. We are all there.”
Finally, Dionisi was asked about former Inter striker Andrea Pinamonti and if he was approaching this match with an extra source of motivation.
“I don’t know if it will be a special match for him, for me it’s not. I’d rather not face Inter twice a year because you know it’s less easy to score points.
“Andrea trained well, he missed the pitch, the team, he trained and it’s obvious he wants to play, but I don’t know if from the start or afterwards, they have to prove it on the pitch in training that they want to play tomorrow.”