‘This competition seems made for them’: Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti insists he wants to AVOID Real Madrid in the Champions League final and would rather face Man City… as he hails coach Simone Inzaghi for an ‘incredible’ achievement
- Inter Milan reached the Champions League final after beating AC Milan 3-0
- Simone Inzaghi’s side will now take on either Man City or Real Madrid on June 10
- Vice-president Javier Zanetti said he is wary of Real’s history in the competition
Inter Milan vice-president Javier Zanetti has revealed he would prefer to face Manchester City over Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The Nerazzurri reached the showpiece event courtesy of a 3-0 aggregate win over bitter rivals AC Milan, with Simone Inzaghi’s side easing through the second leg on Tuesday courtesy of a 1-0 victory through Lautaro Martinez.
They will face either City or Madrid in the final in Istanbul on June 10, with that tie finely poised at 1-1 after the first leg at the Bernabeu last week.
And Zanetti – who is an Inter legend having spent 19 years with the club as a player and was part of their historic treble-winning side in 2009-10 which also saw them win the Champions League – insisted that the relationship Real have with the competition means he would rather face Pep Guardiola’s side.
‘I’d like to avoid Real Madrid because this competition seems made for them,’ Zanetti told Sky Sport Italia after last night’s clash.
Javier Zanetti (centre) revealed he wants to face Man City over Real Madrid in the Champions League final
The Nerazzurri reached the final courtesy of a 3-0 aggregate win over bitter rivals AC Milan
Man City’s semi-final with Real Madrid is well-poised with the score level 1-1 after the first leg
‘However, the most important thing is to have arrived here. It was a difficult path, it’s not easy to play a derby in the semi-finals. I did and I was defeated in 2003.’
Inter will play in their first Champions League final since the aforementioned triumph in 2010, and will line up against either arguably the most in-form side on the continent in City or a Real side who have won a record 14 European Cups, including in five of the past nine seasons.
After a tricky run of form around spring, they are ending the season in fine fashion, with five successive league wins likely to ensure they qualify for next season’s Champions League, while they are also in the Coppa Italia final having previously won the Italian Super Cup in January.
The form of yesterday’s match-winner Martinez has been key, with the World Cup winner having netted eight goals in his last nine games in all competitions and Zanetti was full of praise for his fellow countryman.
He added: ‘I am so happy for him.He improves every year with us. He’s a point of reference for the team and we keep hold of him because he’s too important.
‘For now, he stays here, then we’ll see. Let’s enjoy this win. He’s happy here, where he has found his home. He is happy in Milan and I hope it will last long.’
Inter vice-president Zanetti claimed the Champions League seems ‘to be made for Real’
He also heaped praise on the exploits of goalscorer Martinez and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi
Inter’s path into the Champions League final has been made all the more remarkable given their opponents in the competition.
They navigated the supposed ‘group of death’ which included Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen, before defeating Porto, Benfica and Milan in the knockout stages.
Zanetti continued: ‘It was tough, but we’ve made an incredible thing. Credit goes to the team and the coach who have been able to react in difficult moments.
‘He [Inzaghi] hasn’t spoken much and proved to be worthy of the Final.’
