Real Madrid or Man City? Vice-president Javier Zanetti reveals who he wants Inter to avoid in final
Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti acknowledges a preference for facing Manchester City rather than Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
After a 1-0 triumph over AC Milan at San Siro, Inter confirmed their spot in the final, sealing a comprehensive 3-0 victory on aggregate.
The team from Serie A must now patiently await the outcome of the second leg between City and Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, as it will determine their opponent for the final showdown on June 10 at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The second leg at the Etihad Stadium is delicately balanced after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. However, Zanetti expresses a desire for Manchester City to advance in the competition due to Real Madrid’s illustrious history in the Champions League.
“Great emotion. This group deserved this emotion,” Zanetti said after Inter’s 1-0 win over AC Milan.
“Now we wait for tomorrow to discover the opponent but it’s already a lot to have arrived at this moment.
“I would like to avoid Real Madrid because this competition seems made for Real Madrid.
“But now it counts just being there. A derby in the semi final is very tough, I experienced it as a defeated player.”
Meanwhile, when asked who he would rather face, Inter striker Romelu Lukaku said: “It doesn’t matter.
“In this stage in your career when you play finals you know you’re going to play the biggest teams.
“Man City are playing absolutely brilliant football. Pep Guardiola has a tactical plan for every game. Very different to the other teams in the Premier League because for every game there is a pattern of play, so sometimes they might aim for the second post, sometimes they aim for the near post, teams in the Premier League have difficulty adapting to that.
“Real Madrid they have two wingers who are absolute quality right now – Vinicius [Junior] and Rodrygo. They are becoming world-class players, [Federico] Valverde is coming through in midfield.
“I just want to see a good game to be honest, and then at the end of the day, may the best team win.”
Real Madrid or Man City? Vice-president Javier Zanetti reveals who he wants Inter to avoid in final
