Inter will host Club Brugge in the second round of the Champions League group stage. Ahead of the match, Internazionale defender Manuel Akanji attended a press conference.

Hello Manu, my question to you is: how important are these two upcoming Champions League matches, especially since they are both at home? How important are they for achieving your goals – I don't know if you, the players, have set a target points total in your minds – to reach the coach's stated target of 16 points to qualify for the top eight?

Yes, they are very important, but first we must focus on tomorrow's game. We can't think about the match against Shakhtar Donetsk yet, because the most important game is always the next one, and that's tomorrow's game against Brugge. And yes, it's very clear that our goal is to reach the top eight, and for that we must start winning. Hopefully, we can start doing that tomorrow.

Good afternoon, Manuel. Compared to last season – your first season with the team – do you feel that the team is now more focused and determined to chase the dream of winning this trophy? Because given the club's transfer market activity this year, the Champions League this season seems to be more than just an elusive dream.

Frankly, I don't really remember who our opponents were in the group stage last season. There are so many games, so it's always hard to remember who we've played. But yes, our goal is definitely to qualify directly by finishing in the top eight. We'll see what happens next. We have to focus on playing well in every single match.

And yes, the team is always changing, and our squad has also changed compared to last season. We have our first Champions League home game of the season in front of our fans, and the only defeat we've suffered so far was in the Champions League. So now is a great time to get our first Champions League win.

Hello, continuing on the previous topic: some of your comments after the Swiss national team match have reached Italy – you said that Internazionale's goal this season is to win everything, or at least do better than last season. My question is: what is the basis of your confidence that the team can perform well even in higher-level competitions, such as the knockout stages of the Champions League?

Yes, I think so too. I think we've felt very good so far. In the league, we've only had one draw, and we've won all the other games, so we feel very confident.

We have a larger squad, and I would say the team has more depth. Therefore, in many positions, as we saw in the weekend's match, we rotated the squad, and the players who came on performed extremely well. I hope this will also help us in the Champions League.

And most importantly, everyone stays healthy so that we have a full team with everyone available, because only then can we show greater strength and support each other on the field. So yes, I am very confident this season.

Hello, Manuel, you were a key player for Manchester City. I'd like to ask if you have your own thoughts on what's happening in England right now? Have you been in contact with any of your former teammates? What do you really think about everything that's going on?

Yes, sometimes I still keep in touch with my friends at Manchester City, but obviously I'm not too worried about what's happening there. All my attention is focused here at Internazionale. Yes, I've seen all the news reports about what might happen next. I don't know what will happen in the end, but I hope they can keep their titles. For me, that's the most important thing.

Hello, Manuel, have you had a chance to message Sommer recently? Maybe to joke with each other, like "I'm going to score against you tomorrow"?

Yes, I spoke to him two days ago. Tomorrow, during the 90 minutes of the match, we won't be friends anymore, but that's how football is. He's still a good friend of mine, but yes, tomorrow our only goal is to win this game. Hopefully, we can do that.

Hello, this is your second season at Internazionale. You are now very familiar with both the overall environment here and the head coach. In what ways has the entire team grown and improved compared to last season? And what aspect makes you most optimistic about the future prospects?

Yes, this is my second year here, and it's the same for the coach. I think so far we feel pretty good, but the season has just started, so we'll see what happens next. However, it's obvious that our goal is to go much further in the Champions League. We were eliminated too early last season, but I think we performed extremely well in domestic competitions in Italy. We won two titles domestically, and I hope we can replicate that success this season, and then we'll see what eventually happens in the Champions League.

Hello, given that you lost to Real Madrid in the first match, do you feel that this upcoming match is a must-win game where you can't afford any mistakes if you want to make the top eight?

No, I won't go into the game thinking we must win. Even if we don't win tomorrow, we still have six games in the group stage, and we have every chance to win all of them. But obviously, our goal is to win at home in front of our fans. Yes, that's the mentality we have going into this game. We will do our best to win the match and then see what happens after 90 minutes.

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