Cagliari vs Inter Milan preview - Stramaccioni keen to kick on

Posted Saturday, April 07, 2012 by PA

Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has demanded more of the same from his players as they look to beat Cagliari in Trieste.

Stramaccioni was pleased with the efforts of his players in their 5-4 triumph over Genoa last weekend.

The result - Inter's first home win since January 22 and their second in 11 league games - handed Stramaccioni a good start to life in charge of the Nerazzurri.

Stramaccioni, who replaced sacked Claudio Ranieri last week, said: "We started this journey on the right path and this is a positive sign.

"The team has the right enthusiasm and there is a positive atmosphere in the camp but we know we haven't done anything yet.

"We want to confirm all the good work we did against Genoa."

Inter go into the encounter at the Nereo Rocco stadium in seventh place, seven points behind Lazio, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot with eight games remaining.

Stramaccioni has urged his players not to obsess with their current position in the standings.

"In terms of value, it goes without saying that this team has the potential to finish third," he said.

"But we have to focus on the present and right now our position in the standings does not interest me.

"We are taking one game at a time and we cannot start getting distracted by future projects or hypothetical scenarios."

It remains to be seen if Cagliari's controversial decision to move their next two home games, including this encounter, to the mainland will hinder the team.

The Sardinian outfit decided to move the venue away from Cagliari to Trieste after an ongoing dispute with the local council regarding the renovation of the Sant' Elia stadium.

However, Cagliari president Massimo Cellino said: "To play at Trieste will be like playing at home, considering that most of their citizens are AC Milan fans."

Cagliari go into the encounter on the back of 2-0 triumph over Atalanta, their second win in their last seven games.

The victory lifted Cagliari to 11th place, nine points clear of the relegation zone.