Sneijder tells Bayern it is only half-time
Monday, March 14, 2011
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Wesley Sneijder is confident FC Internazionale Milano can turn around a 1-0 first-leg deficit at FC Bayern München on Tuesday, saying: "There are still 90 minutes left. We are here to win."
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Wesley Sneijder believes FC Internazionale Milano still have time to rescue their UEFA Champions League campaign as the holders enter the second leg of their last-16 tie with FC Bayern München a goal behind.
The Dutch international urged his team-mates to show the conviction that they could battle back as he told a press conference in Munich: "We have to believe in our victory. In the Champions League you have 180 minutes to win and there are still 90 minutes left. We are here to win this game and go through to the quarters."
After Bayern's morale-boosting 6-0 thumping of Hamburger SV on Saturday, Sneijder predicts "an intense, interesting" occasion against opponents who won the first leg at San Siro through Mario Gomez's late goal. "Bayern won against Hamburg and it was impressive how they did it but I've not thought so much about them – I am thinking about Inter, and I have to say that we are in very good shape," explained Inter's No10.
There is plenty of familiarity between the sides following last May's UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, which Inter won 2-0. "These games are on an extremely high level," said Sneijder, who once again finds himself up against his compatriots Louis van Gaal, the Bayern coach, and Arjen Robben, his erstwhile team-mate at Real Madrid CF. "Of course Robben and I meet in the national team – and will do next week again − but at the moment, personal relationships do not count. The only thing which counts is the game tomorrow."
That may be so but Sneijder, 26, did admit the Inter squad had been affected by the terrible images from Japan in the wake of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Inter signed Japanese international defender Yuto Nagatomo on loan from AC Cesena in January and the full-back may make his UEFA Champions League debut if Lúcio fails to recover from injury in time.
Sneijder said of his colleague: "What happened in Japan affects us all in a way but my Japanese team-mate is affected even more − of course we try to help him as much as we can in this very sad situation."
