Inter Milan's Only Target Is Barcelona

MILAN, SUNDAY - Shooting in the Italian League, but the bullets are aimed at the Champions League. This metaphor describes the situation of Inter Milan, which successfully secured an important 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona, despite fielding a reserve team. This victory feels bittersweet as Inter's fate in the Italian League is determined by Napoli's performance. The only target for Inter now is Barcelona.

For the first time since December 2015, Inter performed a rather rare action by rotating as many as 10 players from the previous match against Barca. Only defender Yan Bisseck was retained as a starting player. The rest, Coach Simone Inzaghi fielded substitute players.

Inzaghi himself did not directly accompany his team from the sidelines due to still serving a suspension. His position as the commander from the bench was replaced by his assistant, Massimiliano Farris.

Inzaghi fielded players who have been second choices, such as Marko Arnautovic, Joaquin Correa, Matteo Darmian, Nicola Zalewski, and Piotr Zielinski. This choice is quite risky considering that the league leaders, Napoli, successfully extended their lead over Inter to six points following their victory against Lecce in another match.

It sounds crazy, but I think we have a better chance of winning the Champions League than the “Scudetto” (Italian League).

Although only fielding substitute players, Inter remains too strong for Verona, which is currently stuck in the mid-table standings. The "Nerazzurri" dominated possession and the number of shots. Throughout the match, Inter made nine attempts, with two of them on target. The solitary winning goal for Inter was scored by Kristjan Asslani through a penalty execution in the 9th minute.

This result ends Inter's negative trend of not winning in their previous five matches in all competitions.

Fielding second-string players indicates that Inter's priority is no longer in the Italian League. Inter's sole target is to defeat Barcelona, advance to the final, and win the Champions League.

"We want to end the season with the dream of winning the Champions League. It sounds crazy, but I think we have a better chance of winning the Champions League than the Scudetto (Italian League). Even though we are facing a crazy team, Barcelona," said Farris after facing Verona at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Sunday (4/5/2025) early morning WIB.

The Champions League is indeed much more realistic for Inter. The 3-3 draw in the first match at Barca's home provides a slight advantage for Inter. At the very least, the certainty of advancing to the final is still determined by Inter themselves.

Unlike the competition for the Serie A trophy, which is currently led by Napoli with a three-point advantage over Inter. Inter's chances of winning Serie A are greatly influenced by the results of Napoli's matches. Furthermore, the league is approaching its conclusion with only three matches remaining.

"The ball is now in Napoli's court. Today, we want to play seriously and intensely to remain at the top. It no longer depends on us. However, if Napoli stumbles, we want to be prepared," said Farris.

The decision to field substitute players provides double benefits for Inter. Inzaghi seems to have won a gamble. In addition to the three points from Verona, Inter's key players have more recovery time. Denzel Dumfries, Marcus Thuram, Yan Sommer, Alessandro Bastoni, and Nicollo Barella are ready to be deployed against Barca.

Only Lautaro Martinez is almost certain not to be fit due to an ongoing injury. His position will most likely be replaced by Mehdi Taremi.

Meanwhile, Napoli is getting closer to their fourth league title after defeating Lecce, 1-0, with a goal from Giacomo Raspadori. Thanks to this victory, "The Donkeys" now need to secure seven points from the remaining three matches to clinch the "Scudetto."

Napoli's coach, Antonio Conte, stated that the victory over Lecce is a crucial step in winning the league. Napoli's potential opponents in the next three matches are also relatively easy, namely Genoa, Parma, and Cagliari. All three are mid-table teams that are currently still struggling to distance themselves from the relegation zone.

"I don't need to lie, this is an important step towards the Scudetto," Conte said. (REUTERS)