Inter and Marseille’s bosses confident ahead of Champions League clash

Claudio Ranieri believes that Inter Milan feel more comfortable in the Champions League than in the Serie A campaign, while Marseille’s manager, Didier Deschamps is wary of the nerazzurri historical glory in international competitions.

Ranieri believes in Champions League success

Inter Milan are sat in the seventh position of the Italian league table, as they travelled to France with a record of three-consecutive defeats in their domestic standing.

But manager Claudio Ranieri believes that the millionaire league is where his team feels comfortable, as he is confident they will be successful against Marseille.  

“At first, we had better results in the Champions League than in Serie A. The game is more open in the Champions League, while it is more closed in Italy,” Ranieri told France Football.

“When I arrived we could not be 100 per cent focused on Serie A. However, we immediately won our matches at CSKA Moscow and at Lille.”

“I believe that this team has its natural habitat in the Champions League. Our players have a lot of experience in this competition, so they approach the matches with the right mentality and focus,” the former Chelsea boss added.

Deschamps recognises Inter Milan’s past glory

Meanwhile, Marseille’s manager, Didier Deschamps, stressed that the Giuseppe Meazza side will pose a difficult task for the Ligue 1, reminding the nerazzurri international achievements.

“Inter have so many international champions, so many players who are accustomed to the Champions League and who can make the difference, like Milito, Pazzini or Sneijder,” he told reporters at a press conference.

“They can make their opponents tremble. Inter's worth should not be questioned and it will be different from what we have seen in their last Serie A matches.”

“I would like to remind that nine of their players took part in the Champions League final a year and a half ago.”

On the other hand, the French manager also acknowledged his team’s strengths and stated that they have enough capacity to win the final-16 round tie against Internazionale.

“We have no certainty, but we have the belief. We will face them over two legs, we are confident and we will give our all.”

Champions League 2011/12 2012/02/22, 19:45, Marseille Marseille 1:0 Internazionale  André Ayew 90+3' Video 03:15 Watch video > Match Events >