Keita Balde has urged Inter Milan to show character when they host Barcelona in Tuesday’s Uefa Champions League game.
Luciano Spalletti’s men are second in Group B with six points from three games behind the reigning Spanish champions.
Ernesto Valverde’s men have won all their games in the competition this season and the former Lazio man has called on his teammates to be ready to halt the winning run of their visitors.
"Playing Barcelona is never easy, but we have to show character in tomorrow’s game, aware of what we have in our locker and how strong we are,” Balde said in a match conference.
“This is the only way we can inflict some damage. We have to play with our heads held high and try to win in whatever way possible."
The forward who started his career at the Camp Nou is confident in the ability of his side to claim victory against his former club.
"It’s a very special game for me because I owe Barca a lot, I came through FC Barcelona’s youth academy starting from the age of seven. They taught me everything, and I’ll always carry what I learnt there along with me,” he continued.
“But tomorrow I’ll only be thinking about Inter. We have a very solid and strong squad with one of the best defences in Europe, while in attack we are scoring a lot of goals.
“We have to demonstrate all of our abilities tomorrow so that we can put in a great performance. We’ll be ready."
Since joining the San Siro outfit from Monaco on loan in the summer, the 23-year-old is yet to open his goal account despite featuring in 13 games across all competitions.
"I’m still young and I work every day to improve. With time, I’ll develop into a better player. I always give my best in training so that I can do better and better,” he added.
“I’m calm and available to the coach. At the moment the team winning is what concerns me the most as this is the most important thing. The goal will come."
