Just like Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan are carefully managing their schedule to arrive in top form for the big clash in Munich on May 31. And they’re doing it in style. On Sunday, the Nerazzurri closed the gap to Serie A leaders Napoli, moving within just two points after a confident win all while resting many of their usual starters.
With less than three weeks to go before the Champions League final, both Italian and French media are closely tracking the physical and tactical preparation of the two contenders. For PSG, the approach is pretty straightforward. As expected, Luis Enrique is rotating his squad in Ligue 1. Against Montpellier, only Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola part of the starting XI versus Arsenal featured from the off. A similar approach is expected for the final league match against Auxerre. The big question now: will Enrique field the same lineup in the Coupe de France final as the one he plans to use against Inter?
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is following a similar path with a few added complications. Unlike PSG, Inter can’t afford to take Serie A lightly. Still firmly in the race for the Scudetto, they’re juggling domestic and European ambitions. But Inzaghi didn’t hesitate to rotate heavily against Torino. In Sunday’s match in Piedmont, only Bastoni and Bisseck from the team that faced Barcelona kept their spots. The gamble paid off: Inter walked away with a 2–0 win and edged even closer to the top of the table. After the match, a visibly relieved Inzaghi admitted he had been nervous going into the game. But the result sends a strong signal to PSG: Inter are serious contenders and they’re peaking at just the right time.
