Simone Inzaghi reveals Emil Audero and Alexis Sanchez will start for Inter against Benfica, warning their ‘work is not done yet’ in the Champions League.
It kicks off in Lisbon on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT.
While the Nerazzurri have already booked their spot in the Round of 16 and Benfica are out of the running, there is still both third place and the all-important leadership to decide.
Inter and Real Sociedad both have 10 points, RB Salzburg 3 and Benfica on 0.
“We already talked to the lads, we are here in Portugal to play an important match, with the great satisfaction of being qualified for the knockouts with two games to spare,” said Inzaghi in a press conference.
“However, our work is not done yet, there is first place to be earned and we must play well against Benfica. We know that Real Sociedad are still technically top of the group.
“It is the fourth time we are facing Benfica in six months, but it will be even more difficult on their own turf, because the crowd really push them on. They have quality, can play with two physical strikers, or Rafa behind the centre-forward.
“I have great respect for the team and the coach, as they reached the quarter-finals last season.”
The fact that Inter are already qualified means a massive squad rotation tomorrow, including a rest for Yann Sommer.
“I already told the team the line-up, so I will tell you too. Emil Audero will play tomorrow. I think Alexis Sanchez can start too, he had a problem after two international games with Chile, had treatment for three days and trained separately. Today he trained with the group and is available.”
Inzaghi reached the Champions League Final last season, but the main target this time has to be the Scudetto, which would give Inter their second ‘star’ on the jersey, one for each 10 Serie A titles.
“We are Inter and our objective is to win everything. I will just say we played 57 games last season, it is the third year running we have qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 and we have also already qualified for the Club World Cup. At the same time, we know that we have responsibilities and want to make our fans happy with trophies.”
They remain top of the Serie A table after a 1-1 draw with Juventus in Turin on Sunday evening, but was Inzaghi disappointed with the result?
“We played as a mature team, though we could’ve done better when we had the ball. However, last season in a very similar match we were beaten, so this time we remained concentrated and got the equaliser.”