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'It's Tottenham-Inter, not Bale-Inter' - Stramaccioni
07-Mar-2013 12:55:00 AM
The Nerazzurri head coach praised the quality of his side's Europa League last-16 opponents, while revealing that only fully-fit players will feature on Thursday night
Inter head coach Andrea Stramaccioni has hailed Gareth Bale as one of the most talented players in Europe right now, but insisted that Tottenham have other players to be wary of.
Bale announced himself on the continent with a stunning second-half hat-trick against the Nerazzurri in 2010 in the Champions League, though his endeavours could not prevent Spurs from losing 4-3 at San Siro.
The two European giants meet in the Europa League at White Hart Lane on Thursday night in the first leg of their last-16 clash, and the Italian has warned that the Wales winger is not the only star that needs to be watched like a hawk.
"I think Tottenham are not only a very strong team physically, but they also has great quality,” Stramaccioni said to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
"[Andre] Villas-Boas had the opportunity to develop with one of the best coaches in the world: Jose Mourinho.
"Bale is now one of the most complete players on the European scene; he is becoming crucial [to Spurs].
"Though Bale is strong, Tottenham have many champions. But we also have top players and have absolutely no fear. It's Tottenham-Inter, not Bale-Inter.”
Injuries have depleted Inter’s squad and Stramaccioni is adamant that only those who are 100 per cent will feature on Thursday to prevent the problem from worsening.
"We cannot risk anyone who is not in peak physical condition because we are in an emergency [situation],” he added. "We are trying to recover as many players as possible for this game.
"If we're to get a result tomorrow, we're going to need to produce a huge performance."
Stramaccioni also revealed that striker Antonio Cassano will return to the squad having been left out of the Nerazzurri’s 3-2 victory at Catania following a dispute between the pair.
"Cassano is here with us, he has trained and tomorrow I am sure that he will either start of be brought on to contribute."
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