Conte: "180 minutes to secure qualification, we'll need to produce an excellent performance tomorrow"

APPIANO GENTILE – A two-legged semi-final showdown against Juventus with a place in the Coppa Italia final at stake. Inter are preparing to face the Bianconeri at 20:45 CET on Tuesday 2 February at San Siro. Ahead of the match, Antonio Conte spoke to Rai Sport, with the Nerazzurri Coach having the following to say:

The match against Juventus:“You always need to be very respectful of very strong teams, and we’ll certainly need to put in an excellent performance. The upcoming 180 minutes will determine who progresses, and the first match will be important. Last year, we lost 1-0 to Napoli at home and didn’t manage to turn things around at the San Paolo despite playing very well. We’ll need to perform and try to do our best.”

Romelu Lukaku is out through suspension:“It’s not the first time that Romelu has been missing. We’ll have Alexis and Lautaro, who I’m sure will do well. Romelu is feeling good, he responded on the pitch and scored two goals against Benevento. Now, he’s being forced to rest due to his suspension and will work hard to be in good shape when he returns in the league.”

Eriksen produced two positive performances against AC Milan and Benevento: “Eriksen’s a great guy, he’s putting in a lot of effort. We’re trying to work with him a lot and find many solutions so that myself and the team have an alternative that we can count on.”