José Mourinho: "Important game but not decisive"

Inter coach José Mourinho held his press conference on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 clash against FC Dynamo Kyiv. The full text from the official FC Internazionale Milano website (www.inter.it) is to your attention:

"Inter-Dynamo Kiev won't be a decisive game. There are still four games and twelve points until the end of the group so nothing will be decisive tomorrow. It is definitely an important match tomorrow because it will bring more tranquillity or more pressure depending on the result, but it won't be the last match in the group," added Mourinho, who said the euphoria of Saturday's big win in Genoa will help the team. "We can't get indications from that victory, but the best way to prepare for the game against Dynamo Kiev was to have moments of joy, moments that the team experienced thanks to the victory in Genoa, which came thanks mostly to the team's spirit."

The Inter coach will use today's training session to test the fitness of several players before naming his squad for Tuesday's Group F encounter. "Eto'o and Cambiasso did individual work yesterday," Mourinho said. "I still don't know if they can train with the group today, but we will try to see if it is possible or not to have them on the pitch tomorrow. This morning we had the feeling that there is a small chance for Milito, but it's not the same for Motta because we don't want to risk a player like him when we have many others available in his role. Thiago will definitely return in the league game against Catania."

There are no easy games in the Champions League and José Mourinho knows his team will have to be at its best to overcome Dynamo Kiev. "A short while ago Sulley said something very simple which at the same time is very true. The Champions League is a competition of champions. We have faced the Spanish champions, then the Russian champions and tomorrow we face the Ukrainian champions. Half of their team is in the national team and their other players are all quality. Dynamo are top of the league. They lost the Champions League game against Barcelona (2-0 at the Camp Nou) but they could have scored at any time. As a team they have everything: physical strength, great organisation, a top quality and experienced coach, velocity on the wings and the two best centre-forward in Ukraine up front. We will try our best to do well, knowing that a few moments are enough in football to pass from heaven to hell. And I have told my players this too."

Mourinho joined Javier Zanetti and Dejan Stankovic in an appeal to the fans ahead of tomorrow night's match: "I know it's not easy for a fan to buy a ticket for all of Inter's matches, but I know that the club has reduced the ticket prices for the next two home games and I hope that whoever goes to the stadium tomorrow will give their support to a team that deserves it. We have played 11 competititve matches (8 in Serie A, 2 in Champions League & the Italian Super Cup) with 11 different lineups and we have done well. But the start of the game against Dynamo won't be the third half of Genoa-Inter, otherwise we'd be starting with a 5-0 lead. We start from 0-0 tomorrow."

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