Marotta shrugs off Simeone appeal: ‘We hope Chivu at Inter for many years’

Inter President Beppe Marotta shrugs off Diego Simeone saying he sees himself on the Nerazzurri bench. ‘We are convinced Cristian Chivu can stay for many years.’

It kicks off at the Estadio Metropolitano at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

While the Nerazzurri are coming off a painful 1-0 Derby della Madonnina defeat to rivals AC Milan, their Champions League record has been faultless with four victories and only one goal conceded.

Now they visit Madrid, where Atleti have won both their games so far this season in Europe, but lost away to Liverpool and Arsenal.

“We played those four games and 12 points against less difficult opponents, whereas this is the first big test of a certain consistency, and an important marker for our future,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“The performances over the last two months have been good, the results not so much. We give credit to Milan for their victory on Sunday, but our performance was more than sufficient.”

There was a special moment in yesterday’s press conference when Simeone confessed he can “see myself” on the Inter bench in future, returning to the club where he played from 1996 to 1999.

“I read that as admiration for a club that he knows well and that is at the vanguard in Europe,” responded Marotta.

“We have a young coach like Chivu, who I hope to remain at Inter for many years, because he is the profile we were looking for.

“We’re happy with him, and convinced he can stay at Inter for many years.”

Inter and AC Milan have just completed the purchase of the land around San Siro to build a new stadium, hoping for an arena like the Metropolitano, which is Atletico Madrid’s home venue.

“San Siro has its charm, but this is an opportunity to build a modern stadium. A new arena for the city of Milan was indispensable. It was a long journey, but we cannot forget what San Siro has given us over the decades.

“In any case, a new stadium was the priority,” concluded Marotta.