Godin: “We’ll need maximum concentration tomorrow”

APPIANO GENTILE -  Diego Godin was alongside Antonio Conte for the pre-match press conference ahead of Inter vs. Barcelona, Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League 2019/20. Here’s what he had to say in response to questions from the press: “Our goal is to win the game tomorrow, we’re not thinking about anything else. It will be our biggest game so far against one of the best teams in the world and we’ll approach it with the desire to improve and give everything on the pitch, as well as the enthusiasm of playing in front of our own fans. We want to to give everything for the team in order to get a positive result and qualify for the last 16 from a group that was far from easy, with Dortmund who are a team used to playing in the Champions League, and with Barcelona too. The goal is just to win tomorrow’s game, Barcelona have already secured qualification but we have to focus on ourselves and win the match.”

Godin has faced Messi and his teammates on plenty of occasions: “I’ve come up against Messi so many times, but everyone knows him well. Tomorrow will be a team game and when you have to play against teams with so much individual talent like Barcelona, what matters most is teamwork. We’ve prepared in training on how we can limit their quality, how we can get at them and cause them problems in order to try and win tomorrow. The game that I remember most fondly is when we won the league at Camp Nou in 2014, it was my goal that decided it and I remember it well. This is a tough game, we know that we’ll have to soak up a lot of pressure but we’re ready and our fans are too. Our concentration will always have to be at the maximum because they’re a team who can hurt us at any time. We have to be at the ready both in attack and in defence.”

Finally, a word on two of the star strikers who might steal the headlines, Lautaro and Suarez: “I know Suarez well, he’s a great striker, one of the best in the world. I watched Lautaro from far away last year and having seen him up close this year I think he’s really blown up, he’s improved so much because he feels powerful and strong on a physical level. The fact that a lot of teams are talking about him today means that he’s doing things well. Today he’s an Inter player and we’re one of the best teams in the world, he’s young, he has so much time to grow and give so much to this team, we’re happy to have him here with us. We all hope that he can continue like this in giving his all on the pitch to help the team.”