Francesco Pio Esposito insisted Inter “cannot be afraid” during the Serie A title race as they prepare for their trip to Udinese.
The Nerazzurri maintained their three-point advantage over rivals AC Milan at the summit with a 1-0 win over Lecce on Wednesday, thanks to Esposito’s winner off the bench.
Only Koln’s Said El Mala (four goals, two assists – 2006 born) is younger than Esposito (two goals, two assists – 2005 born) among players with more than one goal scored and one assist provided from the bench in the top five European Leagues.
Along with their lead over Milan, Inter are also six clear of Serie A holders Napoli and seven ahead of Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus.
When asked if their growing lead adds more motivation or pressure, Esposito was adamant it was the former.
“It motivates us, we cannot be afraid when that is our objective. Every game is difficult, as we saw once again, but we want to hang in there,” Esposito told DAZN Italia.
Following Esposito's winner against Leece, Inter head coach Cristian Chivu ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the striker.
Chivu also coached Esposito during their days in the youth setup, and the 20-year-old explained the importance of his relationship with the coach.
“I saw the coach there, I’m happy, as he had rushed up to celebrate with us when he was the coach of the Primavera youth team too,” added Esposito.
“Our bond is made up of few words, but a lot of affection. He’s one of those people who doesn’t need to say much, you just know he’ll be there for you.
“I’ve known him for years, we practically ‘grew up’ together, him as a coach and me as a player, in the youth team. It’s a very important relationship for me.”
Udinese drew 2-2 at home to Pisa in their last league match, leaving them 10th in Serie A and eight points off the European places.
They have, however, only won once in their last five matches in the competitions (D2 L2), a run that started with a 5-1 defeat at Fiorentina.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Udinese – Keinan Davis
Davis has scored six goals in 19 Serie A appearances this season, twice as many as he managed in 31 games across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns combined.
The Udinese striker, who scored in his last Serie A match, has never found the net in two consecutive games in either the Italian top-flight or the Premier League.
Inter – Lautaro Martinez
Martinez has scored six goals against Udinese in Serie A, finding the net in five different matches; he has only scored in more games against four other teams: Lazio (six), Torino (six), Atalanta (eight), and Cagliari (10).
The Inter forward, who currently has five away goals this season, could become only the third player, after Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, to exceed five away goals in each of the last seven seasons across Europe's top five leagues (since 2019-20).