Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte laughs off suggestions his side will face a weakened Real Madrid due to their injury crisis… as he insists Bernabeu giants ‘cannot cry’ about losing the likes of Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema
- Inter Milan will host Real Madrid for their must-win Champions League game
- Inter and Madrid find themselves sitting third and fourth respectively in group B
- Both teams will be desperately fighting for the win as a draw would help neither
- Madrid will be without Ramos, Benzema, Valverde and Odriozola due to injury
- Jovic and Militao have been ruled out of Zinedine Zidane’s side due to Covid-19
Antonio Conte has scoffed at suggestions that his Inter Milan side will face a weakened Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Inter are set to host Real Madrid at the San Siro Stadium for their must-win Champions League clash.
Zinedine Zidane will be without Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde and Alvaro Odriozola due to injury, while Luka Jovic and Eder Militao have been ruled out due to coronavirus.
Antonio Conte scoffs at suggestions that his Inter Milan side will face a weakened Real Madrid
However, Conte claims the Bernabeu giants ‘cannot cry’ about losing certain players as they have ‘many good players’.
He said: ‘I don’t think Madrid can cry about their losses,’ during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
‘They have a team with many good players. The fact that the newspapers talk about Madrid’s absences makes me laugh.’
Real Madrid and Inter find themselves sitting third and fourth respectively in group B – highlighting the importance of Wednesday’s clash.
Madrid will be without Sergio Ramos (above), Karim Benzema and Fede Valverde due to injury
Luka Jovic (above) and Eder Militao have been ruled out of Madrid’s squad due to coronavirus
Inter are yet to win a match this campaign, having managed just two draws and one defeat. Madrid have suffered difficult run, having only won one, drawn one and lost one in their group that also consists of Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Due to their position, both teams will be desperately fighting for the win as a draw would help neither. But a defeat would leave them with an almighty uphill battle against an embarrassing expulsion.
Speaking of the importance of their game, Conte said: ‘For us it is a final.
‘We know the history of the team, not only from the past, but also from recent history.
‘We know that we don’t have many options other than to have an important result. We have shown that if we play well and are focused, we can win the game.’
Inter Milan and Real Madrid find themselves sitting third and fourth respectively in group B
Both teams will be desperately fighting for the win as a draw would help neither of them
He continued to emphasise the importance of winning, claiming that is Inter’s primary focus.
‘Try to win the game of course. I don’t think there are any other solutions.
‘We still have three games left and we have to get at least seven points. It is one of the most difficult groups in the Champions League, but I think we have shown in previous games that we deserve much more. But it is true that the results have not come and we have to see why.’
