Andrea Stramaccioni warns Inter are not taking tomorrow’s Europa League play-off with Vaslui lightly and admits Douglas Maicon could leave.
The Nerazzurri won the first leg 2-0 in Romania last week, but risked throwing away a 3-0 lead against Hajduk Split in the previous preliminary round when they lost 2-0 at San Siro.
“We are preparing the match very carefully for three reasons,” said the Coach in today’s Press conference.
“Vaslui are an excellent side who caused us problems in the first leg. We don’t want to get it wrong, as qualification is incredibly important because Inter have to be present in Europe.
“Thirdly, we are in an emergency situation in midfield, which is a crucial nerve centre of the team, and I hope to have some players fully fit by tomorrow.
“I will think about the midfield to play and only at that stage consider who I can rest for a few minutes. Some have played in every game so far, but qualification is the most important consideration.
“We’ve got to focus only on Vaslui, because I do not want to repeat the anger I felt at the end of the Hajduk game.”
Julio Cesar officially terminated his contract by mutual consent today so he could join QPR and it’s rumoured the goalkeeper could salute fans at San Siro before tomorrow’s game.
Maicon could well follow suit, as he has been strongly linked with a Nerazzurri exit.
“I will always thank Julio Cesar, as he helped me when I arrived here, but the club choices go beyond affection. I think it’s only right that Julio salute the fans.
“As for Maicon, the situation was already clear from the start. We won’t be caught unprepared, as we have Javier Zanetti and Jonathan. Obviously Maicon has unique characteristics and we’ll see what happens up to the transfer window. If he stays, we will all be happy.”
