In Saudi Arabia the Nerazzurri are looking for their fourth success in a row: tomorrow the press conference in Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr stadium
The quatern operation has officially begun. Inter has begun to prepare on the pitch, here on Arab soil, the hunt for the fourth consecutive Italian Super Cup, a feat never achieved by any club in our world, not even Capello’s AC Milan between 1992 and 1994. It wasn’t enough, in total it would also be the ninth trophy of this type to shine on the showcase, the Nerazzurri would reach the top of Juventus in history. Having landed at Riyadh airport yesterday in the late afternoon and welcomed with all the honors – flower crowns, coffee, local sweets -, Simone Inzaghi and company, together with a large part of the management, from president Beppe Marotta to sporting director Piero Ausilio, are were also welcomed by some fans at the entrance to the hotel: the structure that will host them in this adventure is the same as the last two editions won here, superstition has no boundaries. Also joining are 4 Primavera players, the goalkeeper Calligaris, the defender Alexiou, the winger Aidoo and the midfielder Berenbruch.
AT WORK
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After a first morning of acclimating to the extra two hours of Saudi time, in the local afternoon the first training session away from Appiano was held to prepare for the semi-final against Atalanta. Precisely at 5pm, 3pm in Italy, in the facilities of Al Riyadh, one of the many clubs in the city, among other things one of the richest in Arab players and with the fewest foreigners in the championship. The last session of the reigning champions dates back to yesterday morning, at the Pinetina before leaving for Riyadh, today we worked both on the athletic part on the sidelines (exercises and exercise bikes) and with the ball: everything was “open” to some guests of the Lega Calcio, organizer of the event, and to some Inter clubs who arrived here, who met the players both before and after training. In the end, for Nicolò Barella and Federico Dimarco there was also a small “clinic” with some particularly lucky local children: the little Saudis were able to listen to advice and teachings up close, with and without the ball.
TOWARDS THE GODDESS
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Tomorrow Simone Inzaghi will lead a new afternoon session, but first he will speak in the press conference the day before, at 10.30 local time, 8.30 in Milan, in the heart of Al-Awwal Park, the stadium of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr where the Nerazzurri will challenge Goddess Thursday. Next to him, in front of the microphones, Henrick Mkhitaryan, the most polyglot of the company and, perhaps, also the most flexible on the pitch. The Armenian, who can do everything and more, should be in his usual place in Simone’s midfield, to be opposed to Gasp’s battle-tested midfield: next to him Calhanoglu as director and Barella in the role of right midfielder. In general, Inzaghi is thinking of putting the team in its festive attire: net of the absences of Acerbi and Pavard and possible changes in recent training sessions, the idea is to propose the typical formation again, the one already seen in Cagliari. Bisseck, now in the fast lane of his injured French colleague, will complete the defense with De Vrij and Bastoni. ThuLa is untouchable, even more so after Lautaro was released in front of the Sardinian sea, and Dimarco is also untouchable on the left wing, while on the right Darmian’s return to full service threatens Dumfries, but the Dutchman is definitely ahead in the hierarchy.
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