“Getting a result against an Italian team doesn’t mathematically mean we’ll win again.” That was Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s message before Feyenoord's meeting with Inter at De Kuip on Tuesday at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT]. He said the home side have already beaten Como in front of their own fans, but he is not treating that as a guide for Feyenoord vs Inter.

The gap van Bronckhorst wants Feyenoord to respect

Van Bronckhorst kept coming back to the same point, Inter are a different opponent. “Of course, we watched the Como game too, but tomorrow the opponent will be different. Como are in the Champions League for the first time, Inter have a different status. Every team has its vulnerabilities, though.”

The numbers fit that warning. Inter are 20th in the Champions League league phase on 3 points after 3 matches. Feyenoord are 26th on 3 points after 3 matches, and their European form is LWL, with Inter on WLL.

Compactness, not confidence

The Feyenoord coach also said his team are coming off three matches without a win and need to stay compact at key moments. “The group has energy. It knows it’s come from three games without a win and wants to show tomorrow that it wants to turn the page. We don’t need to run more, but to be compact at certain moments of the game. We managed that against Como, and we need to do it again so we don’t leave Inter dangerous spaces.”

That feels like the right focus. Inter may have been beaten 3-1 by Milan in the derby, their first league defeat of the season, but they still sit second in Serie A with 25 points from 10 games. Marcus Thuram has 5 Serie A goals and 2 assists in 9 appearances, so Feyenoord cannot afford to treat this like a vulnerable opponent in name only.

Cristian Chivu, speaking to Sky Sport Italia, said he believes in “team work” and is confident despite “negative incidents and mistakes to learn from”. He also said Feyenoord have “intensity and quality”. Van Bronckhorst was just as clear about the level of the task. Inter are missing some players, he said, but they remain a complete team with Champions League experience, and the home crowd at De Kuip will not change that on its own.

The result against Como gives Feyenoord confidence only in the narrow sense that they have already handled one Italian team at home. Tuesday night is a different assignment, and van Bronckhorst is right to frame it that way before kickoff.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →