Stramaccioni retains Champions League hope

Andrea Stramaccioni is confident that Inter can still qualify for the Champions League despite Wednesday’s 3-1 loss against Parma in Serie A.

Inter are currently sixth in the Serie A table, trailing third-placed Napoli by three points with only two more rounds to go.

But despite Inter’s predicament in the standings, Stramaccioni has not given up hope of making the cut for European club football’s elite competition as they prepare for his weekend’s derby against AC Milan.

“I don’t think you can draw any conclusions just yet given the sort of season this is,” Stramaccioni told reporters.

“We can’t wait to get back to winning ways and we want to do that immediately, starting with Sunday.

“It’s a massive match for us. All we can do now is try and win all the games, then we’ll see where we end up.”

The young coach is adamant that his Inter players will be extra motivated to react against the Rossoneri after the loss in Parma.

“You have to prepare for the derby by drawing strength from your desire to bounce back. And I could see that desire in the eyes of my players after the match.”