Simone Inzaghi is taking no comfort from the fact Inter only need a draw with Monaco in their final first phase fixture on Wednesday to ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.

French side Monaco are 10th in the table and are three points below fourth-placed Inter, and they need a win to have a chance of finishing in the top eight and avoiding the play-off round route into the last 16 for teams ranked ninth to 24th.

A loss may see Inter finish outside the top eight, with the next nine teams within three points of the Serie A champions.

"We are waiting to get into the top eight, which is not a foregone conclusion. We have seen that teams with bigger budgets than Inter will be left out. Every competition hides pitfalls," Inzaghi told reporters on Tuesday.

"We can't make calculations. We know we're one last step away from a great run and we'd like to do it tomorrow night."

Inter have won five of their seven Champions League matches so far, four of which were closely contested 1-0 victories, including against Arsenal in November. Inzaghi said he expected another tough battle with Monaco.

"Monaco have excellent offensive players; they play offensive football. They are well-organised. We have great respect for Monaco, but we want to play a great game," he added.

Injuries will keep out Francesco Acerbi, Hakan Calhanoglu and Joaquin Correa from the fixture, while their attacker Mehdi Taremi is a slight doubt.

"In these two days, [Taremi] has trained in the gym and we hope to recover him for tomorrow's match," he added.

Inter's France defender Benjamin Pavard said they were confident going into the game.

"We are working well with the coach and his staff. I am also very comfortable and tomorrow we will try to qualify against a very strong team," he said.

"We have prepared well and we'll do everything to win."