Internazionale 0 - 1 Panathinaikos

Inter Milan v Panathinaikos: Preview

Updated: November 25, 2008, 4:52 PM UK

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti was delighted with his team's performance on Saturday and has called for more of the same in the Champions League against Panathinaikos on Wednesday night.

A draw at the San Siro would see Inter qualify for the knockout stages while victory would send them through as Group B winners.

Inter are in buoyant mood after a brilliant display saw them defeat bitter rivals Juventus 1-0 at the weekend and Moratti hopes they can carry that through to the Champions League.

"That was the best Inter of the season,'' he said. "If we play like we did on Saturday it will be easier.

"Beating Juventus is above all useful in a psychological sense thinking about the Champions League.

"It was a victory that gave me a lot of satisfaction, we found our game and now I hope that things continue like that.

"But now the squad must not relax and they have to knuckle down even more.''

It all seems a far cry from the beginning of the month when Inter were stuttering in Serie A and came within 10 minutes of falling to a shock defeat against Anorthosis Famagusta, eventually snatching a 3-3 draw.

That period followed a stunning 4-0 victory over Roma in the Italian capital and coach Jose Mourinho admits what he fears most is over-confidence from his team.

"If we lose we'll be running a great risk,'' he said. "This is a game I'm scared of, not of Panathinaikos but of us because our most difficult period began after the great display against Roma and I don't want the same thing to happen because against Juve we had a fantastic match.

"I have a lot of respect for the Greeks. It's true that we are stronger and we are looking to win the Champions League, while they aren't, but in a game anything can happen if you go onto the pitch without the right motivation.''

Defeat would also see Inter qualify as long as the night's other fixture, between Anorthosis and Werder Bremen, ends in a draw.

However, Mourinho insists his players have to put all calculations to the back of their minds and focus on victory.

"What also scares me is the friendly atmosphere that we could find,'' he added. "We will qualify with a draw, but we shouldn't make a mistake, in the Champions League what's important is your mentality.

"We have to play with the same concentration and the same intensity as against any team.''

Patrick Vieira is definitely out of the clash as is Cristian Chivu and Luis Antonio Jimenez.

Defeat would not necessarily spell the end for Panathinaikos, who are a point behind second-placed Anorthosis who they face in the final match, but it would deal a huge blow to their chances of qualifying for the next round.

In contrast to Inter, the Greek side could not have had an easier build up to the match as they easily saw off rock-bottom Thrasivoulos 3-0.

However, coach Henk ten Cate claims he would have preferred to have had a tougher game at the weekend.

He said: "Now we have to shift our thoughts to the match against Inter. It's tough to do that after such a comfortable encounter.''

Ten Cate will be without the injured Bryce Moon but Vangelis Mantzios should return against Inter, while Cleyton remains a doubt.