Sampdoria vs Inter Milan preview - Fighting talk from Stramaccioni

Posted Wednesday, April 03, 2013 by PA

Inter Milan boss Andrea Stramaccioni has declared his side must win against Sampdoria on Wednesday night if they are to maintain hope of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri sit 10 points behind city neighbours AC Milan, who currently hold third spot, having lost their two Serie A matches either side of the international break.

Losses to Bologna and Juventus sandwiched a 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the Europa League but Inter still exited the tournament on away goals.

A win on Wednesday night would see them leapfrog Lazio into a qualification spot for that competition again but Stramaccioni is still aiming for a place in Europe's elite club contest.

He told www.inter.it following Saturday's 2-1 loss to Juventus: "Is it beyond us now? Of course it's not.

"We played an open game. We're playing better, we have a match in Genoa now and we have to win it."

That sentiment was echoed by veteran midfielder Javier Zanetti, who added: "We need to find the strength to do as best as possible in the remaining games, find the strength to put in a good performance in Genoa like we did [on Tuesday] against a top team like Juventus.

"Third place? We still have a few six-pointers to play and a game in hand.

"Let's see what happens between now and the end of the season."

Esteban Cambiasso will not feature for Inter after his sending off against the Bianconeri but Juan Jesus returns from suspension.

Andrea Costa misses out through injury for Samp, who drew 0-0 with Atalanta on Saturday, while Eder is suspended.

A win for the Genoa outfit would see them jump into the top half of the Serie A table and effectively end any worries of relegation.

The match was due to be played on March 17 but was postponed after heavy snow and rainfall was forecast.