Bastoni: "We're excited and ready to win"

On the eve of Bologna vs Inter, the semi-final of the EA SPORTS FC Supercup 2025/26 scheduled for Friday 19 December at 20:00 CET (22:00 local time in Saudi Arabia, AST), Alessandro Bastoni joined head coach Cristian Chivu in the press conference at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh to answer questions from the media.

How strong is the desire to rediscover the spirit of two years ago that led to the Second Star? “It never went away. There’s a core group of five or six players who have been here for a long time, and it’s natural that sometimes you need a helping hand. This year in particular, that help arrived in a significant way, because it wasn’t easy to start again with the same level of enthusiasm. That inner drive, from within the squad, came through very strongly, and we’re rediscovering what allowed us to achieve so much.”

How do you assess your season so far? “I’d say it’s been good. I’m always very self-critical and I constantly work to get as close as possible to perfection. That said, the team’s performances have been good too – the league table, the results and our overall progress show that. We know there’s room for improvement, but it’s been a positive season.”

You’re playing for a trophy. Do big matches and past narratives bother you, or do they not affect you? “It’s not something we focus on too much. As the coach said, we got two halves wrong this season – fixing small details like that will take us to the next level. We’re top of the league, among the top eight in the Champions League, and I’m very proud of how my teammates and I are responding to outside talk about problems that often don’t even exist.”

How important can the Supercup be for you at this stage? “It’s certainly important. In just two matches you can win a trophy, but even so it's a challenge. Winning silverware brings enthusiasm and confidence that can help over the course of the season. There are strong teams involved, starting with Bologna, who have caused us problems in recent years, but the desire is there – and it’s strong.”

How much do you feel Chivu is an integral part of the group? “It wasn’t easy to restart after such an intense season last year, and he’s helped us a lot to rediscover confidence and the desire to get back in the game. Mentally, it wasn’t simple to start again aiming to compete for everything – which is what we want – and he’s given us great support.”

How have you prepared for the match? “These are games that prepare themselves. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness. We know Bologna will bring great intensity and compete heavily in every duel, but our objective tomorrow is to at least match their intensity. If we do that, we’ll have a very good chance.”