Ranieri: “Let’s forget Fiorentina and aim for the perfect game against Inter”

Claudio Ranieri called for Sampdoria to put Sunday’s heavy defeat at the hands of Fiorentina out of their minds and focus on this weekend’s trip to Inter as he appeared at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“It was a strange game against Fiorentina that went wrong from the start,” said the Doria boss. “We found ourselves three goals down without having faced a shot on goal. That said, we need to put last Sunday behind us and focus on the match against the Nerazzurri. It will be tough but it’ll be a great game.”

Ranieri admitted that Antonio Conte’s title-chasing Inter side will provide a stern test for the Blucerchiati.

“Inter are a good team,” he said. “They have quality and they’re physically strong. We go into the game with the scores level and we won’t lie down until the final whistle. We need to make sure we put pressure on the forwards and cut out the supply from the midfielders. We know it’s going to be a really difficult game, but we’re preparing for it.”

Ranieri stressed that Samp will have to be at their best to get a result at the famous San Siro.

“We’ll need to produce the perfect Sampdoria performance on Sunday night,” he said. “We need to show desire, stay compact and attack at the right time. We’ll need to defend well because Inter have good movement, with two wide players who push up high and can beat a man. We know how strong they are, but we’re prepared – we’re ready.”