Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji believes his side must be near-perfect to get the better of Arsenal.
Inter Milan Opponents Arsenal ‘Not The Best Team’
Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders are the only club to have won all of their Champions League games to date. However, their Italian opponents will hope to bring an end to their perfect record.
Arsenal have guaranteed a play-off spot with two matches to spare, but likely need another victory to ensure qualification directly for the last-16 and avoid a dreaded two-legged play-off tie.
The Nerrazzuri, meanwhile, have lost their last two matches in the competition, against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, and will be on the hunt for a win to get their own top-eight bid back on track.
After the defeat in Madrid, Cristian Chivu questioned his players, and he will be demanding a better display.
Having surged to the top of the pile domestically and in Europe, the Gunners are arguably Europe’s best team.
But Akanji begs to differ, naming two clubs he believes are superior in an apparent warning shot to Arsenal.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, he said: “They’re among the best in Europe, but not the best. I don’t think they’re stronger than Atletico Madrid or Liverpool. It’ll be a good match.
“Have they improved? I don’t watch much football anymore. I have three children at home and I already have a lot of football in my work.
“They definitely have a lot of good players and they’re consistent, which is important to be competitive.
“What does it take to beat them? Against the big teams, mistakes can be punished. We have to be effective in attack and clean in possession.”
Akanji also admitted that winning the Champions League is an unlikely prospect for Inter, despite them reaching two of the last three finals. Instead, his focus is on Scudetto glory.
“We’ve made progress,” he added. “We’ve improved defensively. We’re conceding fewer goals and no longer conceding the same number of chances as before. That’s been evident in the results of our last few matches.
“Our goal in the Champions League? Bayern Munich is the strongest team. We want to win the Scudetto, which is our goal every year, and be among the top eight in the Champions League.”
Cristian Chivu Praises Arsenal Quality
Boss Chivu, though, named Arsenal as one of the top two teams in Europe, alongside Bayern Munich, before urging Inter to deliver a faultless performance to secure a result at the San Siro.
“We’re facing a strong team, one of the strongest in Europe right now, and not only that, but also in previous years,” said Chivu. “They’ve invested, they’re constantly improving.
“They have an identity, they have players who can cause problems.
“They’ve been dominant in the Premier League in recent years, they barely missed a win, this year they’re top of the table and they’re having a great season.
“We know the difficulties we face in the Champions League, what the competition is like and what English teams are like, but at the same time we’re aware of who we are, what we’ve become in recent years in European competition. We know how to approach these types of matches.”
