Alessandro Bastoni of Inter Milan has urged his teammates to give their all in a bid to stifle Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at San Siro on Tuesday night.
The talented 17-year-old Yamal impressed fans at Montjuic with a stunning goal and a fearless display, playing a key role in Barcelona’s thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg.
Bastoni, the 25-year-old central defender who previously faced Yamal in last year’s European Championship loss where Spain triumphed over Italy 1-0, expressed his admiration for the teen’s impressive advancement.
“I encountered him during my time with Spain, and he wasn’t at this level back then,” Bastoni mentioned during a press conference on Monday.
“I am in awe of the level he has achieved given his age and his ability to produce remarkable moments on the pitch; I believe he is among the elite players in the world right now.”
“We’ll likely need to mark him closely, perhaps even double or triple team him like we did at times in the first leg, but we must be cautious not to overdo it, as it could lead to too much space. Barcelona is not solely reliant on Yamal.”
The electrifying first leg, marked by early excitement and late drama alongside Yamal’s historic achievements, has set the tone for what Bastoni likened to “game seven of the NBA finals.”
“It’s a 50-50 match, completely open, and I expect it will mirror the intensity of the first leg, so I’m thrilled that we’ll be playing in front of our home fans,” Bastoni shared.
“I can only express my pride in how far we have progressed. We’re just two matches away from the Champions League title, which is our goal. We truly want to put on a great display to make our supporters proud.”
“I’m confident our fans will be a tremendous support at San Siro; we thrive on moments like this.”
Pavard and Martinez are uncertain
Inter’s manager Simone Inzaghi echoed Bastoni’s sentiments, indicating that their defensive game plan would chiefly aim to contain Yamal.
“Marking Yamal is incredibly challenging; we’ll have to try to deny him the ball, but that’s virtually impossible in current football,” Inzaghi remarked.
“He’ll definitely be closely monitored, perhaps even double-marked, and we’ll need to be cautious. However, as I highlighted in the first leg, seeing him play live, he is a phenomenal talent: at his age, he’s exceptionally dangerous.”
“In tough situations, they trust him with the ball, and I was struck by his ability to think quickly. When he gets the ball, he knows exactly what to do next.”
Inzaghi revealed that the condition of injured defender Benjamin Pavard and captain Lautaro Martinez remains uncertain.
“We’ll make a decision on Lautaro and Pavard in consultation with the medical team and the players. They’ll need to inform me of their condition,” Inzaghi explained.
“On Sunday, Pavard took part in the initial part of training and felt fine. Lautaro hasn’t trained since the Barcelona match, so we’ll evaluate his situation today.”
Stay tuned for the second leg between Inter and Barcelona.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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