Inter Milan Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu: “Prepared For Any Provocation By Porto, Andrea Pirlo My Idol” | OneFootball

Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu feels that the team are prepared for any difficulties that they may face in tomorrow evening’s Champions League match against Porto.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of tomorrow evening’s Champions League round of sixteen second leg match against Porto, as reported by FCInterNews, the 29-year-old also named legendary former Inter, AC Milan, and Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo as his idol.

Calhanoglu and his teammates carry a slender advantage into tomorrow evening’s match, but they will know that things will be even more difficult than they were at the San Siro playing at the Portuguese champions’ home stadium.

Both teams will be extremely motivated, and both have proven their quality and organization throughout the season, including in the first leg of the tie played in Milan.

For his part, Calhanoglu feels that he is ready for anything that might come from the Porto players and fans.

The Turkish international said of this evening’s match that “It’s very important, for us as players, for the coach, and for the club.”

“It’s very important to us to go through,” he added.

“I know what the atmosphere will be like because I’ve played here before,” the former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder said.

“My teammates and I are all charged up, and tomorrow we’ll have to put our hearts into it and give the maximum until the final whistle,” Calhanoglu said.

“They’re charged up as well,” the 29-year-old said of Porto, “and as far as the provocations that will come from them, and I say this with respect, we’re prepared to face them.”

Of the need to bounce back from recent losses against Bologna and Spezia, Calhanoglu said that “Those matches are already in the past and we don’t want to talk about them, we’ve always done well in the Champions League and tomorrow we want to reach the quarterfinals because that’s our goal.”

Asked if he sees himself as being similar to Piroli, Calhanoglu noted that “Pirlo is my idol, but I don’t like talking about myself, I want to focus on my work.”

And of getting back in form, the Turk said that “Whenever we falter, we’ll always get right back up.”

“We’ve always done so,” he noted.

“We’re united through thick and thin.”

“From what I’ve seen from my teammates, we’re completely well-prepared for what lies ahead, sometimes you face this bad moments in football where you aren’t at your best though,” Calhanoglu said.