Inter will face Cagliari at San Siro on Friday 17 April at 20:45 in the 33rd round of Serie A, with Cristian Chivu using the eve of the match to push a simple message: stay proud, stay hungry and keep adding points.
Speaking at the BPER Training Centre, Chivu said Inter must be proud of what it has done and keep the right spirit and ambition as the championship enters its final stretch, with six league matches left. “Dobbiamo essere orgogliosi di ciò che abbiamo fatto e mantenere spirito e ambizione giusti per essere la nostra miglior versione e aggiungere altri tre punti in classifica,” he said.
The coach also moved to cool the temperature around his post-Como remarks, saying he had been joking and that football remains only a game. “Se non capiamo l'ironia meglio che facciamo altro,” he said, adding that too many things are taken too seriously and too superficially. He said his comments had been misunderstood in a climate where messages are often recast according to agendas, friendships and obligations.
The immediate team news is less open to interpretation. Alessandro Bastoni has a physical problem with his ankle, has trained little in the last month and is not at 100 percent. Chivu said he will not be called up for the Cagliari match and will remain out to recover, while also working to rebuild his condition. “Io la farei finita,” Chivu said of the discussion around Bastoni, noting that the defender has given his availability despite days on crutches and has tried to help both club and country.
For Inter, the timing matters. This is the 33rd round, and the margin for error is shrinking with only six league matches left. The club is still being asked to defend its standards while managing a key absence, and Friday night offers both a chance to keep the pressure on and a reminder that the season’s physical toll is now showing.
The main question now is how Chivu balances the need for points with the need to protect players who are carrying injuries into the closing weeks. Bastoni will sit this one out. Inter still have to finish the job without him.