MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni says they should be scared of “murderers and bad people” and not Manchester City’s fearsome attack ahead of the Champions League final.
City blew away Real Madrid in the semifinals, winning the second leg 4-0 to advance 5-1 on aggregate. Erling Haaland was not on the scoresheet in either match but has 12 goals in the league this season and will finish as the competition’s top scorer whatever happens in the final on Saturday in Istanbul.
City is going for a rare English treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies.
“You should be scared of murderers and bad people and not players, not players that are our age,” Bastoni said. “It’s wrong to speak of fear; you should only have courage and a clear mind to head out there and go for it.”
Three-time champion Inter last appeared in the final in 2010 when it beat Bayern Munich to secure its one and only treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League trophies under José Mourinho.
This is the first time since then it has gone beyond the quarterfinals.
It is City’s second final in three years, while it also reached the semifinal last season, but it has never won the competition.
“We are very happy to have reached this goal, because we’ve deserved it for what we’ve done on the pitch,” Inter midfielder Federico Dimarco said.
“We know we’re facing a very strong team but for us, this final, winning the trophy, is a dream. For them it’s an obsession.”
City is the overwhelming favorite to lift the trophy but Inter players are confident they will have their say.
Inter progressed from one of the toughest groups, which included Bayern and Barcelona, and beat Porto, Benfica and AC Milan. It has won 11 of its past 12 matches.
“Not everyone would be able to progress from a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and it’s only normal for predictions to change,” Dimarco said. “We’ve come up against some strong sides, but we’ve shown that we deserve to be here through our performances on the pitch, and we’ll play the final on equal terms.
“They’re very strong, and we know that. However, Inter need to be Inter; we have to put all our pride and strength into it. If we perform as an Inter side should, we can be successful.”
Inter players seemed very relaxed at a media day at the club’s training ground, just days out from the final. Goalkeeper André Onana was all smiles as he chatted to reporters.
“I have no pressure at all. We have no pressure,” he said. “We know it’s not going to be easy, but we will be there.
“They have more pressure than us. So I’m calm.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
