Akanji: “We want to win in front of our fans”

Club Brugge will be Inter’s opponents in the Nerazzurri’s first Champions League home game of the season. The Matchday 2 fixture in the 2026/27 league phase will take place at San Siro on Tuesday 13 October, with kick-off at 21:00 CEST.

Ahead of the game, Manuel Akanji spoke to the media at the Inter Training Centre, answering questions in the pre-match press conference.

How important are these two successive Champions League home games in terms of reaching the 16-point target the coach mentioned for a top-eight finish?

“These are two very important games, but first we have to focus solely on tomorrow. We can’t be thinking about the Shakhtar game yet. We want to finish in the top eight, and to do that we need to start by winning tomorrow’s match at San Siro.”

Compared to last season, do you feel the group is more focused on the dream of winning the Champions League?

“To be honest, I don’t remember exactly what the group was like last season. There are so many games and things can change very quickly. Our first objective is to finish in the top eight, but we have to take it one game at a time. We’ve changed, a lot of other teams have changed too, and everything feels new. This is certainly a good moment for us to get our first win in this season’s Champions League.”

While you were away on international duty, you said that Inter can win everything this season.

“I think we feel very good as a team. In the league, we’ve drawn just one game and won all the others, while our only defeat of the season came against Real Madrid in the Champions League. We feel like a very strong side. At the weekend, we made a few changes and rotated the team, but those who came in did very well and we got the win. It’s important for everyone to be in top form so that each player can make their contribution to the team.”

You were a key player for Manchester City. Have you formed an opinion on what is happening in England?

“I’m still in touch with my friends at City, but I’m not too concerned about what is happening there because all my focus is on Inter, the games we have to play and our objectives. I just hope I can hold on to the titles I won with City.”

Have you had the chance to exchange any messages with Sommer?

“I spoke to him two days ago. For 90 minutes tomorrow, we won’t be friends, but that’s how football works. Yann is still a good friend of mine, but tomorrow the only thing that matters to us is winning the game.”

This is your second season at Inter, so you know the environment and the coach well. In what ways have you grown compared to last season, and what gives you confidence for this year?

“It’s my second year here and the coach’s second season as well. The campaign has only just started, but we feel good and we’ll see what happens. It’s a very long season. Last year we won two trophies in Italy, while in the Champions League this season we want to go as far as we possibly can. Then we’ll see.”

Do you feel tomorrow is a game you simply cannot afford to get wrong?

“I don’t want to approach the game like that. We still have six matches left in the league phase, so I can’t say it’s a do-or-die game. But from tomorrow, we want to start winning in front of our fans. That is our objective.”