Fuente: © Inter de Milan
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INTER: MANCINI: "WE'LL HAVE TO GRIT OUR TEETH"

/noticias.info/ APPIANO GENTILE - The countdown to the winter break begins tomorrow afternoon with Inter v Messina at the Meazza. The Nerazzurri then face Lazio at the Olimpico in midweek before another home match with local rivals Atalanta next Saturday. Ahead of Sunday's clash with the Sicilians, Inter boss Roberto Mancini answered questions from the press in his pre-match news conference:

Mancini: will the difficulties of the game against Messina be the same as in the matches against Siena and Reggina?
"I believe Messina want revenge, and it will be a more difficult match than the others because of this difficult moment they're having. And Messina have done well in all their recent defeats. So we will certainly need the best Inter, with the same desire to win as in the last games."

Does your lead at the top of the table give you the possibility to manage the situation a bit?
"We mustn't look at our lead, there's still too long to go until the end of the championship. It would be a good lead if we were three games from the end of the championship, but there are so many to go and we have to keep playing to win and collect as many points as possible."

Is tomorrow's match a good chance for you to rest a few players?
"There's only a week to go until the Christmas break. Even those who aren't at their best must make a sacrifice and grit their teeth until at least next Saturday. We have a few injuries and we have to make this sacrifice all together."

Have you thought of rotating players in these next three matches?
"No. We will take each match as it comes. After the match against Messina we will think about Lazio, and Atalanta after that. We will look at the condition of individuals after each match."

Messina may already have their minds of Wednesday's decisive clash with Parma. Is this situation advantageous for you?
"If Messina did have their minds on the Parma game, it would be an advantage for them because they would play calmly tomorrow. Like I have already told the boys, Messina have played well in their last games despite losing. They conceded mainly from set-pieces and were never dominated by their opponents. If we are careful and focused, and if we get an early goal, we can do well."

How are Adriano and Recoba?
"They aren't in top condition. We will see how they are tomorrow."

How is Luis Figo?
"He's fine, he has recovered from the knee problem. He's a great champion and I don't think he will be affected by the fact that he has missed the last few matches."
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