Inzaghi previews Inter-Feyenoord: ‘They’ve already done great things’ | OneFootball

Simone Inzaghi believes Inter are in for a difficult test away at Feyenoord in the Champions League on Wednesday night, pointing to the atmosphere at De Kuip and the Dutch giants’ successes against Bayern Munich and Milan this season.

The Nerazzurri will face Feyenoord in Rotterdam on Wednesday night for the first of their two legs in the Champions League round of 16, before hosting in San Siro next Tuesday.

Inzaghi: ‘They’ve done great things, Bayern lost, they knocked Milan out’

Inzaghi feels that Feyenoord are a physical team, one that is difficult to predict given their recent change in coach and a side who have already proved themselves capable of knocking out ‘big’ teams in Europe this season.

“They’re a physical team with great qualities,” Inzaghi said during his pre-match press conference, reported via TMW.

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 18: Theo Hernandez #19 of AC Milan clashes with Anis Hadj Moussa of Feyenoord during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between AC Milan and Feyenoord at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 18, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We know that it’s not an easy environment at their place, I played there in 2000 with Lazio. We played in the quarter-finals in the second group stage. I’ve not been there as a coach yet, but I know it’s a fiery atmosphere.

“They’re a quality team that has changed coach. They did well in the league despite ending at 0-0 (against NEC). They’ve already done great things in the Champions League, Bayern lost despite knowing that they still weren’t in the play-offs, they knocked Milan out. We know there will be a second leg, but we have to focus on tomorrow.

“We know that there are two legs, but the boys know that the first match has a lot of value when it comes to getting through the round. We will have to play a great game. I am still thinking about the best possible solutions to ensure that the team plays a good game. We have some problems to solve, but I’ve seen willingness from everybody.”

epa11891748 Antoni Milambo of Feyenoord (L) guards Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan (C-R) during the UEFA Champions League playoff first leg soccer match between Feyenoord and AC Milan, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 12 February 2025. EPA-EFE/OLAF KRAAK

Feyenoord were due to play against Groningen in the Eredivisie over the weekend, in between their two legs against Inter, but have had a request granted for that game to be postponed, which means they will have almost a full week to prepare for the return leg in San Siro.

Inzaghi has no issues with Feyenoord’s postponement, as he feels many others would have done the same thing. “They were able to postpone the game and I think they did correctly. A Champions League round of 16 match is important, and it’s right that Feyenoord did this.”

Inzaghi provides Inter injury update

Inzaghi went on to provide an injury update on his squad ahead of the Champions League engagement in the Netherlands.

Federico Dimarco, Carlos Augusto, Nicola Zalewski and Matteo Darmian are out, which means that Alessandro Bastoni is likely to play at left wing-back.

Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan is challenged by Alessandro Bastoni of FC Internazionale during the Serie A match against FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 22, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We know we have a bit of difficulty in a very specific part of the pitch. In addition to Dimarco, I would add Zalewski, Carlos Augusto and Darmian. We no longer have players in that position, probably one of Bastoni or Acerbi will play there. But the principles of the game will not change. We are here to play a round of 16 match and we will do our best.”

There were also updates on the conditions of Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu.

“Thuram trained normally, Calhanoglu trained with the team this morning. There is a doubt in midfield, it’s the department where I have the most choices because everyone is available, while in other positions we will have to decide tomorrow morning.”

And on Yann Sommer, who recently had surgery to repair a fractured thumb, he added: “He had that problem with his finger, he worked yesterday and today he did two excellent training sessions. We are very happy, but I’ll focus on Martinez for tomorrow’s game.”