Beppe Marotta insists tonight’s game with Salernitana has ‘hidden dangers’ and is not afraid of approaches for Lautaro Martinez. ‘I see no difference between Inter and PSG.’
It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Torino-Lecce on the LIVEBLOG.
This was meant to be a meeting of the brothers, but Pippo Inzaghi was sacked by Salernitana this week and Fabio Liverani brought in as their third coach of the season.
It is still a reunion of sorts, as Liverani was teammates with Simone Inzaghi at Lazio.
Although Francesco Acerbi, Juan Cuadrado and Stefano Sensi are injured, squad rotation is kept to a minimum ahead of the Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid.
“Inter must achieve the maximum in every competition they participate in,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
“Then the coach sees the squad every day and evaluates who will start. Games last 100 minutes nowadays, so substitutions are increasingly important. The coach is doing a wonderful job, nobody can complain about this line-up.
“This is one of those games that on paper might seem easy, but hides terrible dangers. It is really one of the most difficult matches, because a win would mean going to +10, so we must play with determination and forget about all that. We have to face Salernitana as if they were in second place.”
Marotta was questioned on the future of Inter stars, as Lautaro Martinez and Nicolò Barella are still in negotiations for new contracts.
“There is no anxiety, because we are dealing with professionals who are in love with this jersey. We are confident and don’t want to talk about it too much, as there are many games to concentrate on over the next two months.”
There have been reports that Paris Saint-Germain could target Lautaro Martinez after news Kylian Mbappé will leave as a free agent this summer.
“This is football, there are always risks, but we have not seen any signs of an approach,” replied Marotta.
“However, I see no difference between us and PSG. Perhaps they have different horizons, but we have strong owners, we are competitive and secure. We have important objectives and want to concentrate on that path.”
Inter reached the Champions League Final last season and are hoping to repeat it, starting with Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
“Participating in the most important competition in Europe, and perhaps the world at club level, is something to be proud of and we want to honour it in the best way. We are ready for this challenge against a tough opponent with a tenacious coach like Diego Simeone, who knows how to get the best from his players.
“It won’t be easy, but I have faith in the quality of these players and the intuition of our coach.”
Marotta is already working towards the future, agreeing deals for Piotr Zielinski and Medhi Taremi as free agents once their contracts with Napoli and FC Porto expire.
“Piero Ausilio and Dario Baccin are monitoring opportunities on the market with free agents. There is a strong focus on both these players, we will see in the most transparent way whether we can announce these things or not.”
#SerieA | @Inter, #Marotta su un possibile assalto del PSG in estate: "Noi rischiamo quotidianamente, il gioco del calcio è fatto anche di questo. Ad oggi segnali e preoccupazioni non ce ne sono, poi se ci fossero li gestiremmo nel migliore dei modi" https://t.co/XcX4GJVQ1H
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 16, 2024
The difference Marotta is that Inter is close to bankrupt and has a president missing in action that curiously has not been seen at the club for several months. If Martinez gets offered enough money he’ll likely go like most of them do.