Moratti awaits Inter reaction

Rubin Kazan could face an Inter Milan backlash as the Italians head into Tuesday night’s Champions League Group F match on the back of their first Serie A defeat of the season.

Inter, who played out a goalless draw in their first European fixture against Barcelona at the San Siro, failed to find the back of the net in their game at Sampdoria on Saturday.

A 1-0 defeat saw Jose Mourinho’s side drop to third in Serie A.

“I couldn’t say if it is better to arrive at a Champions League game on the back of a victory or a defeat,” said Inter owner Massimo Moratti, when asked about the state of mind of his players.

“At times a defeat can stimulate the team.”

Inter certainly need stimulating in front of goal when it comes to the Champions League.

The last time they scored in the competition was December 2008 in a 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the scorer of that goal and he now plays for Barcelona.

Moratti is keen to see an improvement on the weekend loss to Sampdoria.

“I did not see an ugly Inter in Genoa,” Moratti said. “The team played well and we didn’t make any mistakes with the exception of the goal given away.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the team. Of course, a certain bitterness remains considering that we lost despite playing good football.”

One player who has scored a lot of goals over the years in Europe is Samuel Eto’o, the former Barca striker who joined Inter in the summer.

Eto’o, who is expected to start alongside Diego Milito, has found the net just once in his last four appearances.

Rubin Kazan lost 3-1 at Dynamo Kiev in their first Champions League match.

There has been intense interest in Tuesday’s game at the Tsentralnyi stadium, not only because Inter are among the world’s top clubs but also because Kazan are hosting a game in the competition for the first time.

Expectations are high for Kurban Berdyev’s defending Russian champions, who lead the domestic Premier League with 47 points in 23 games.

Like Inter, though, they go into the game on the back of a defeat.

Kazan’s eight-match unbeaten run, including six consecutive victories, was halted by last Friday’s 2-1 home defeat to FK Amkar Perm.

Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic has warned his team-mates not to take Kazan lightly.

“Our Champions League group is not an easy one and we have to be ready to face a team that, even though they lost their last game, they can create many problems for us,” he said.

The Italians will fancy their chances of taking a positive result home, for they have lost just once on their last six visits to Russia.

The visitors will be without Dutch winger Wesley Sneijder, who has failed to recover from a hip injury. Moreover, Thiago Motta and David Suazo have also stayed in Milan to recover from their respective knocks.

Kazan will be without midfielder Macbeth Sibaya, who serves his second of a three-match ban.