The coach of Benfica, the German roger schmidtassured today that he hopes Inter Milan are “at their best level” despite their crisis of results in Serie A, and that their rivals “will be ready and cause difficulties”.
In a press conference ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, which will be played on Tuesday at the Da Luz stadium, Schmidt predicted that Inter will be a “high-level, very focused” team, despite their poor streak in domestic competition.
“In these quarterfinals, in the knockout phase, we must always expect the opponent to play at their best level. For both teams (the game) will be very important,” said Schmidt.
Inter is an opponent with “a lot of individual quality and a lot of options in different sectors,” Schmidt said.
Four days in a row without a win
The ‘Nerazzurri’ reached the first leg of the quarterfinals after four consecutive games without a win, making their qualification for next season’s Champions League via Serie A more difficult.
“Inter, at the moment, may be struggling in the league, but just look at their squad. They are experienced players, with such quality…”, Schmidt stressed.
The tie against Porto as a reference
The ‘eagles’ coach admitted that he had analyzed the recent rivalry between Inter and Porto in the round of 16, where the Italians won 1-0 at San Siro and managed to maintain, with some difficulties, the short margin in Portugal, where they draw iron.
“It’s a bit of the Italian style and I know they can change that style. We are prepared for everything and we want to play to the maximum,” promised Schmidt.
Joao Mario reunited with Inter
Eyes in both matches will be on one of Benfica’s strongest players, João Mário, who will meet Inter Milan again on Tuesday after suffering the worst spell of his career at the San Siro.
When asked about his student, Roger Schmidt said he hopes “it’s going to be as important as it has been all season.”
Joao Mário, 30, “is a key player for us, a leader (…) I think he has been very good so far, not only for scoring many goals and making assists, but also as well as being a complete and reliable player on a tactical level, with and without the ball,” Schmidt said.
Otamendi, allowed
João Mário will wear the captain’s armband, because the usual, Nicholas Otamendi, It is low because of the sanction.
Without the Argentine world champion, Benfica need “leadership on the field”, according to their coach, who said “he is sure that (Mário) is at his best level”.
Benfica host Inter in Lisbon on Tuesday in the Champions League, a competition in which they are yet to lose a game this season.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
