Bastoni warns Inter they are no longer Champions League finalists ahead of Shakhtar test

Bastoni calls for realism as Inter face must-win test

Alessandro Bastoni has urged Inter to lower the rhetoric around their Champions League ambitions, warning that the side preparing to host Shakhtar Donetsk is not the team that reached two finals in recent years.

Inter welcome the Ukrainian club to San Siro on Wednesday after losing to Real Madrid and Club Brugge in their opening two matches. Bastoni said another poor result would make a top-eight finish increasingly difficult.

“We are obliged to get a result, otherwise the idea of finishing in the top eight becomes prohibitive,” Bastoni said. “We need to be realistic. It has been a long time since we reached the two Champions League Finals; we are no longer the same team, so we’ve got to get our feet on the ground.”

Inter were narrowly beaten by Manchester City in the 2023 final and lost 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 final. Bastoni described the competition as a dream but said the team must first recognise its present position.

Defensive errors and slow starts under scrutiny

Bastoni rejected the idea that Inter’s problems stem primarily from their system or coaching, instead pointing to individual responsibility and lapses in concentration. He said the team’s poor starts have often been followed by comebacks, leaving them with unnecessary ground to make up.

“We’ve all got to be honest and take our share of the responsibility,” he said, adding that Inter had conceded too many goals through individual errors. “Just limiting those would already be a big step forward.”

The defender also acknowledged that opponents are now familiar with the way he advances from centre-back to support Federico Dimarco. Bastoni said Inter need to find different ways to spread the play and that he would be comfortable operating centrally during their rotations.

Asked about his personal difficulties, including a red card in Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina and off-field legal issues, Bastoni said he had been supported by those around him. “Time heals all wounds,” he said.