Antonio Conte knows that Inter won’t have it all their own way when they welcome Barcelona to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza this week.
Inter need to win to be sure of progression to the Champions League’s knockout rounds and despite Barcelona already having qualified as group winners, the Nerazzurri boss knows the threat they still pose.
“If we thought for a moment that we’re not going to suffer when they’re in possession then we’d be fools,” Conte said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“But when we have the ball we’ll try to put them in difficulty.
“They’re one of the four or five teams who start the season looking to win the competition. They’re a very strong team.
“Them knowing that they have secured first place will allow them to play without pressure, and that can be problematic for us.
“Nothing changes. We have to give everything and know that it mightn’t be enough.”
Inter fell to a late Luis Suarez winner at the Camp Nou in October after leading early through Lautaro Martinez, but Conte says his side have grown since then.
“Two months have passed,” he said when asked about the first game, “we’ve faced difficulties and have grown over time.
“We played with courage and desire, but then we lost because of some good moves from them.
“We’ve grown, some things will change. We’ll try to pressure them and limit the time we spend on the back foot.”
Inter might be left needing Borussia Dortmund to slip up in order to progress, but Conte is only thinking about his side and what they do.
“I ask for my players to be respected,” he said.
“There’s no need for us to look over our shoulders.
“We’re looking towards tomorrow [Tuesday] and that’s the most important thing for us.
“We’re focused on our own goal and the rest will come.”