Rafael Benitez buoyed by Milito return

Inter Milan coach Rafael Benitez was in buoyant mood on Tuesday ahead of his team’s Club World Cup debut against South Koreans Seongnam Ilhwa on Wednesday.

Following a torrid beginning to his Inter reign, which has been beset by injury headaches, Benitez now has a near full-strength squad to choose from.

And one of the main reasons for his joy is seeing the return of striker Diego Milito.

“I’m very happy that everyone’s here because now I have the possibility to make a different choice if I want,” he said.

“Everyone’s training at 100 percent and our preparation until now has been positive.

“Having seen Milito scoring goals in training I’m convinced that we’re strong.”

Many people expect this to be little more than a walk-over before Inter play Brazilian namesakes Internacional in Saturday’s final.

Every previous Club World Cup final has been played between the representatives of Europe and South America.

But Benitez insists his team are not looking that far ahead.

“For us the most important game is the first, tomorrow we’ll play our best possible team to win it,” he said.

“Then if we win, we’ll think about the next one.

“Seongnam are a well-organised team who have quality, intensity, they know what to do when they have the ball and they’re well stationed when they don’t have it.

“They’re tough opponents but we can win.”

As for Milito, he says he’s fit and eager to play in this tournament.

“I feel good, I’ve been training with the team for a week. We’re prepared and we want to play well tomorrow,” he said.

“This is a unique competition, you don’t know when you might get another chance to play in it.”