Henrikh Mkhitaryan believes Cristian Chivu has given Inter "something Simone Inzaghi couldn't" as they continue to fight for the Serie A title, with Genoa next up.
Inter sit 10 points clear of AC Milan at the top of the table and have the opportunity to extend that gap to 13, with their rivals not playing until Sunday, against Cremonese.
However, they go into their clash with Genoa on the back of a disappointing Champions League exit, having gone down 5-2 on aggregate to Bodo/Glimt, losing the second leg 2-1 at home on Tuesday.
Inter still have silverware in their sights, with a Coppa Italia semi-final against Como coming up, while the Opta supercomputer gives them a 95.9% chance of clinching the Scudetto.
And having missed out on three trophies last term, Mkhitaryan feels Chivu has provided the boost they needed.
"Obviously, you can't always have very experienced coaches," Mkhitaryan said in a speech at Bocconi University.
"We have Chivu, and he's given us something Inzaghi couldn't give us. As you can see, we're first in the league; it's not over yet, but you can see the great work we've done.
"Last year, we could have won three trophies in two weeks; we missed every opportunity. Naturally, we wanted to win at least one; that's football. No one expected it. We didn't succeed.
"After that disappointment, we found the strength to get up the next day and go to work.
"This year, we've started differently, recognising the new opportunity and doing everything we can to win something.
"We're doing well, with 12 games to go, the championship isn't over: we want to do everything we can to win it. We hope we can do it.
"In football, anything is possible; you just have to be ready to put your head down and keep going."
They face a Genoa side who are down in 14th, currently three points clear of the relegation zone.
Since the turn of the year, Genoa have lost just twice – to Lazio and Napoli – while they have won three of their nine matches (D4) as they continue their bid to stay in Serie A.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Inter – Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Since his first Serie A season (2019-20), Mkhitaryan is one of four players with at least 35 goals and 35 assists in the competition, alongside Domenico Berardi, Hakan Calhanoglu and Rafael Leao.
Furthermore, after his goal against Lecce, the Armenian could score in consecutive league appearances for the first time for Inter, having last done so between May and August 2021 with Roma (five consecutive matches in that instance).
Focus on #InterGenoa pic.twitter.com/gEiAEkvrYl
— Inter (@Inter_en) February 26, 2026
Genoa – Lorenzo Colombo
Since Daniele De Rossi's arrival as Genoa manager (November 6 last year), Colombo has scored six league goals.
Only Lautaro Martinez (11) has scored more in that period, while five other players have also scored six goals. The 2002-born player has never scored more goals in a single Serie A season (six in 2024-25 with Empoli).
MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN
Inter are unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A matches against Genoa (W10 D3), scoring 33 goals during this run (an average of 2.5 per game) and conceding only five; Genoa's last victory against the Nerazzurri in the competition was in February 2018 (2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris).
And Inter have won their last 11 home games against Genoa in Serie A, keeping nine clean sheets during this period. This is Genoa's longest current streak of consecutive away defeats in the competition.
Since the arrival of De Rossi as Genoa's manager, only Inter (38), Como and Juventus (both 29) have scored more goals than them (26 goals in 16 Serie A matches, level with AC Milan). In the same period, Genoa have the highest shot conversion rate (14%).
But Inter have earned 64 points in 26 games in the league this season and could gain 67 or more points after 27 matches for only the third time in their Serie A history, after 2023-24 (72) and 2006-07 (73).
Inter have also won 13 of their last 14 Serie A matches (W13 D1), scoring 36 goals during this period (2.6 on average), including each of their last seven games. The Nerazzurri have not recorded a longer run of consecutive league victories since January to March 2024 (10 wins).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Inter – 68.6%
Draw – 18.2%
Genoa – 13.3%