UCL, Inzaghi: "Tough game that could be a big milestone"

It's the eve of the Champions League quarter-final in the Inter household. After the 2-0 win at the Estádio Da Luz, the Nerazzurri are getting ready to host Benfica in the second leg at San Siro.

Here's what Head Coach Simone Inzaghi had to say ahead of the game:

What kind of game will you have to play?

This is the second half of a huge tie. We have the lead but we know what our opponents can do. It'll be a tough game; we need to work as a unit. We know that, after tomorrow night, we could be amongst the top four teams in Europe and that would be a massive milestone.

What are you asking of yourself and of the team?

We know what we've done in Europe and that our standings in the league table aren't what we wanted but our only focus now is Benfica. We know that we have the lead but we'll need to be at our best against a side who haven't been getting results lately but are still really dangerous. We saw that much from our game against them and when they played Porto; they showed flashes of what Benfica are all about.

Might the uncertain situation surrounding some of the players be the cause for your current form?

We need to manage our internal situation better and isolate ourselves from it. We have a few players coming to the end of their contracts but I see them every day at training and they're all working hard. Taking criticism is part of our profession; we need to be strong and just think about Benfica tomorrow. We'll need to put in a big performance.

How are you going to prepare for the game?

We're going into it off the back of a defeat at home in the league but that's in the past. We're focusing on Benfica; we know that it's a big and tough game and that we need to play as a unit. We have to play as a team because Benfica do a lot of running and cover the field well. We'll need to play well and dampen the threat they carry because they're a team that creates a lot of chances.

How do you manage what you read in the papers and the fact that tomorrow you could reach the final four in Europe?

It was the same before Barcelona and Porto. I'm used to it. It's better that they criticise me rather than my players. Criticism gives us the motivation to work even harder. We've not been good enough in the league; we haven't had an "Inter" season. Like other sides, we've had our issues but there's still time. We now need to focus on giving our fans a great evening that would see us go through to the quarters. It would be a massive milestone.

Did you have an exercise or ritual when you weren't scoring as much? How do you view this opportunity?

Before, we hoped to reach the quarters, now we hope to reach the semis and we will give it everything. As a striker, I was only worried when I wasn't getting chances so my strikers can be calm. They just need one moment to turn it around for themselves and for all of Inter.

Could Lukaku play tomorrow? Where is Calhanoglu at?

I have my ideas for the line-up but with so many games in such a short space of time, it makes your ideas tough to carry out. We still have two more training sessions - today and tomorrow - which will help my selection process.

Are you expecting the same tactics as in the first leg?

It'll be important for us to keep hold of the ball. We controlled possession better than them in the first league. We will also need to work hard off the ball as well because they cover the pitch really well, so we'll need to do well in both phases of the game to make sure that it's a repeat of the game in Lisbon.

Do you want to respond to what Noel Gallagher said?

He's a great musician; let's hope he's lucky too because Inter getting to the final would make us all happy.