Lautaro Martinez sees parallels between Inter’s Champions League clash with Manchester City and Argentina winning the World Cup. ‘They ought to be worried about facing us.’
The build-up is intensifying for the meeting in Istanbul on Saturday night and it is an opportunity for Lautaro Martinez to combine the World Cup with the Champions League trophy.
“I am going through a wonderful period of my career and always said that when I arrived at Inter, I would try to achieve the maximum,” the striker told Sky Sport Italia.
“We won many trophies that had been missing from this club for many years, but now there is this dream and that final push. It is the most important game in our club careers.”
Even if it doesn’t go to extra time, Lautaro Martinez feels facing Manchester City has to be an experience taken in its entirety.
“It’s 120 minutes, because the trip in the team bus and the warm-up are all part of the match. We must be concentrated from when we set foot on that bus to the final whistle.
“In matches like this, the details make the difference. We must give heart and soul, but also enjoy every moment, because a Champions League Final doesn’t come around every day.”
While Inter managed to retain the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, having won both last season too, they were only third in Serie A this term.
“Our season was wobbly in Serie A and we weren’t ourselves. In the Champions League, we had a long, difficult and united journey. We’ve got Serie A back on track, won the Coppa Italia and now must give our all to win this trophy.”
The Nerazzurri have not been in the Champions League Final since securing the Treble in 2010 and it was pointed out that it was sealed by a brace from Argentina international Diego Milito.
“I know that sometimes you believe and sometimes you don’t. On international duty, many things happened before we won the World Cup. We’ve got to believe, to be ourselves and face City with courage, because they too ought to be worried about facing us.”