Fabio Capello (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
Fabio Capello believes that Inter need to put their last two Serie A matches behind them, but feels that it will be a ‘different’ Nerazzurri team that steps out onto the pitch when they take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
Simone Inzaghi’s side will take on Vincent Kompany and his injury-hit Bayern at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday night, before hosting the Bavarians in San Siro next Wednesday. Click here for the latest team news.
While Inter have picked up four points from their last two league matches, there have been some concerns over the second-half performances that the Nerazzurri have put in.
Capello tells Inter how to beat Bayern in Champions League
Writing in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column, Capello believes that Inter were given a ‘warning sign’ during their 2-1 victory over Udinese: A game that they had led 2-0 at half-time, before ‘losing’ the second half.
It was a similar, albeit slightly more costly story during the 2-2 draw against Parma in the weekend just gone, as Matteo Darmian and Marcus Thuram provided a 2-0 first-half lead, only for a second-half fightback to ensue through Adrian Bernabé and Jacob Ondrejka.
Despite the recent hiccups, Capello believes that Inter are still the odds-on favourites for the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia, and believes that the Nerazzurri have a decent chance of getting past Bayern as well.
The fact that Bayern will be without Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala among others is a big bonus for Inter, Capello writes.
The former Milan, Juventus and England head coach also feels that Inter have a midfield department that ranks among the top three in the world with Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Davide Frattesi all available for selection.
Still, even with a strong Nerazzurri side and a Bayern team hit by injuries, Capello is aware that there is still plenty of work to do before a spot in the Champions League semi-finals is secured.
In order to do so, Capello feels that concentration will be the key: Unlike the Udinese and Parma matches, he feels that they will need to ‘do the opposite’ and be switched on for every moment until the final whistle.
Marking England captain Harry Kane out of the game is also a priority for the Nerazzurri defensive unit, Capello writes.
Meanwhile, Capello feels that the battle will be decided in midfield. He also writes that Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram will be the decisive goalscorers.
