Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists Inter are ‘built to win every game’ and the Champions League and praises the Nerazzurri stars, especially Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
Inter and Manchester City make their 2024-25 Champions League debut at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday.
Guardiola previewed the game at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, replying to questions from the media in English and Italian.
Inter and Manchester City met in the 2023 Champions League Final, which the Nerazzurri lost 1-0, but Guardiola naturally expects a different match.
“We couldn’t afford to think that we were much better than them at that time. The media said we were much superior to them, I didn’t think we were,” he said.
“I knew they were strong two years ago and they’ll be strong tomorrow. I have respect for them. It will be a different game of course because a Champions League Final is different from any game, but we’ll see.
Guardiola on Inter’s best qualities, Bastoni, Barella and ‘special’ Lautaro
“Inter are a historical team with an incredible mentality,” continued the former midfielder.
“They are built to win every single game and the competition. They won a lot last year, it’s quite similar to us. They have good high pressing, almost man-to-man, similar to Brentford, and they defend with typical Italian mentality. They have to suffer. They are strong in set pieces; they have quality in the build-up with Bastoni, Calhanoglu, Acerbi, and Pavard. They have good guys coming from the second line, especially Barella. Also, Mkhitaryan, but especially Barella. I don’t know if Dimarco will be fit, but every time he crosses, there are four or five players in the box. It’s a complete team. You can’t win the Italian league or reach a Champions League Final if you don’t have something special.”
Lautaro Martinez hasn’t yet scored this season but is among the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or alongside his teammate Hakan Calhanoglu.
Lautaro’s status has somehow changed since the last time Inter met City in the Champions League Final as, in the meantime, the Argentinean has won Serie A and Copa America, becoming the best scorer in both competitions.
Is he a credible candidate to win the Ballon d’Or?
“Of course, why not?” asked Guardiola.
“I hope a Man City player wins, but he’s in contention; he is a sensational player. A captain, an attacker. He won the World Cup with Argentina, so you have to be special; otherwise, you can’t do that kind of thing. Inter have a lot of good players.
“Thuram is also a very strong player,” added Guardiola.
“He works well with Lautaro. He can attack the channel and play beyond the defence. He and Lautaro move really well.”
Erling Haaland will be the main threat for Inter tomorrow. Is Guardiola surprised by the amont of goals that the Norway international scores?
“A little bit, yes. Do you know why? I played for 11 years as a professional. I was a football player, and I scored 11 goals. This guy scored nine in four games,” he said.
“I don’t expect him to score two or three goals in every game. He feels no problems; all the players have this feeling, so they can compare at their best.”