Chivu: ‘Confident’ Inter must ‘not feel pressure’ against Bodo/Glimt
Inter coach Cristian Chivu says his players must ‘not feel the pressure’ to score two or three goals against Bodo/Glimt: ‘We know we can turn a negative result around.’
Inter are preparing for the second leg of the Champions League knockout play-off against Bodo/Glimt. The Nerazzurri suffered a 3-1 loss in the reverse fixture in Norway last week. Therefore, they need a win by two goals to send the game to extra time and a three-goal margin to qualify for the Round of 16.
Inter vs. Bodo/Glimt – Chivu’s pre-match interview
Hakan Calhanoglu has missed the last two games, but Chivu didn’t provide any update on whether the Turkish midfielder would return to action tomorrow: “We’ll see,” the Inter coach told Sky Sport Italia via TMW.
Chivu was asked how he’s been preparing the team for the match: “Nothing changes; we must go out on the field to win and be aware that we can. We must not feel the pressure to score two or three goals to qualify. We must do our best, being clear-headed to understand the moments in the game, knowing that we are a team that can turn a negative result around. We must be aware that we need to stay balanced because Bodo are very dangerous in transitions.”
The Nerazzurri’s defeat in the first leg was quite unexpected, especially given their dominance in Serie A.
“There was a lot of bitterness because we could have done more. We had to do more. In the end, we deserved the result,” he said.
“We immediately focused on Saturday’s match, which was just as important. And, since Saturday, we’ve been thinking about this. We’ll play just 72 hours after the last game. In Lecce, it was even less than 72 hours from the previous match, including the return to Milan and the flight to Lecce.”
Inter beat Lecce 2-0 away in Serie A on Saturday and extended their lead over second-placed Milan to ten points as the Rossoneri lost 1-0 at home against Parma.
“We are a team that can turn a result around, we are all confident, and we’ll do our best,” Chivu continued.
“From the beginning, we’ve been taking one game at a time without planning too far ahead. We are ready; we can both physically and mentally handle all competitions and games at our best.
“What I care about is the approach, the mental preparation for the game and the trust—being our best version, being aware that we can turn it around. It could last 120 minutes, plus penalties, and we must be ready on all fronts.”