Agreed, if it is possible, it would be a great position to finish the season in.
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[ITA] Serie A 2007/2008 (44 Viewers)
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Serie A Team Of The Week: Round 16
Goal.com provides a brief list of those who deserved a place in the sun after the Serie A Round 16 action. As every week there were more players who deserved a place than places available...
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus): Incredible save on Rocchi in the second half which awards the Bianconeri the three points. Best goalkeeper ever.
Christian Chivu (Inter): Does his defensive duties well, but more importantly becomes Inter’s most dangerous forward thanks to some powerful shots from the distance.
Gianluca Comotto (Torino): Great game for the Granata defender, which not even the red card in the final minutes of the match can tarnish his performance.
Massimo Paci (Parma): Very consistent for the Crociati and will probably earn a move to a big team by the end of the season. The new Cannavaro?
Daniele Portanova (Siena): Cancelled Zalayeta out of the game and offered Frick the assist for the opening goal. Important element of the Tuscan side’s defence.
Cristiano Zanetti (Juventus): Apart from the usual dirty work he also invented two brilliant assists for Del Piero. Quantity and quality.
Sebastian Giovinco (Empoli): What an incredible player. Another wonderful performance with a goal and a lot of good assists for his team-mates. Would walk into any Serie A team.
Andrea Gasbarroni (Parma): Received a standing ovation on his way out of the pitch. Brilliant game and wonderful player; ready for an important club.
Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus): What better way to prove that he’s not a finished player and can play from the first minute. Might not be able to play 90 minutes every week, but he can surely make best use of the chances he is given.
Julio Cruz (Inter): Great movement upfront and as usual he ended up scoring to pave the way for another Inter win. Most under-rated player in history.
Carvalho de Oliveira Amauri (Palermo): If he keeps performing like he did against Atalanta, then this will be his last season with the Rosanero as a big team will surely buy him in summer. Skill and quality at its best.
Honourable Mention
Doni (Roma)
Juan (Roma)
Giuseppe Biava (Palermo)
Giulio Migliaccio (Palermo)
Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
Goran Pandev (Lazio)
Giuseppe Mascara (Catania)
GOAL.COM
Goal.com provides a brief list of those who deserved a place in the sun after the Serie A Round 16 action. As every week there were more players who deserved a place than places available...
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus): Incredible save on Rocchi in the second half which awards the Bianconeri the three points. Best goalkeeper ever.
Christian Chivu (Inter): Does his defensive duties well, but more importantly becomes Inter’s most dangerous forward thanks to some powerful shots from the distance.
Gianluca Comotto (Torino): Great game for the Granata defender, which not even the red card in the final minutes of the match can tarnish his performance.
Massimo Paci (Parma): Very consistent for the Crociati and will probably earn a move to a big team by the end of the season. The new Cannavaro?
Daniele Portanova (Siena): Cancelled Zalayeta out of the game and offered Frick the assist for the opening goal. Important element of the Tuscan side’s defence.
Cristiano Zanetti (Juventus): Apart from the usual dirty work he also invented two brilliant assists for Del Piero. Quantity and quality.
Sebastian Giovinco (Empoli): What an incredible player. Another wonderful performance with a goal and a lot of good assists for his team-mates. Would walk into any Serie A team.
Andrea Gasbarroni (Parma): Received a standing ovation on his way out of the pitch. Brilliant game and wonderful player; ready for an important club.
Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus): What better way to prove that he’s not a finished player and can play from the first minute. Might not be able to play 90 minutes every week, but he can surely make best use of the chances he is given.
Julio Cruz (Inter): Great movement upfront and as usual he ended up scoring to pave the way for another Inter win. Most under-rated player in history.
Carvalho de Oliveira Amauri (Palermo): If he keeps performing like he did against Atalanta, then this will be his last season with the Rosanero as a big team will surely buy him in summer. Skill and quality at its best.
Honourable Mention
Doni (Roma)
Juan (Roma)
Giuseppe Biava (Palermo)
Giulio Migliaccio (Palermo)
Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
Goran Pandev (Lazio)
Giuseppe Mascara (Catania)
GOAL.COM
Novellino handed ban
Torino boss Walter Novellino has received a touchline ban, while Antonio Cassano misses his reunion with Roma.
Tempers flared in the 0-0 draw with Inter on Sunday and Novellino was sent off for dissent, so he will have to sit in the stands for his team’s trip to Napoli’s Stadio San Paolo.
Toro also fell foul of the Disciplinary Commission with players Gianluca Comotto and Salvatore Lanna suspended.
As was made clear to everybody at Marassi by his temper tantrum, Cassano picked up a yellow card that will see him banned for the reunion with his old club Roma.
Philippe Mexes will also miss that game, while six other players received a one-match ban: Bovo (Genoa), Cascione (Reggina), Marchisio (Empoli), Pozzi (Empoli), Mascara (Catania) and Pandev (Lazio).
___________________________
I never knew he was getting booked so often.
I loved the way they described Cassano's yellow.
Torino boss Walter Novellino has received a touchline ban, while Antonio Cassano misses his reunion with Roma.
Tempers flared in the 0-0 draw with Inter on Sunday and Novellino was sent off for dissent, so he will have to sit in the stands for his team’s trip to Napoli’s Stadio San Paolo.
Toro also fell foul of the Disciplinary Commission with players Gianluca Comotto and Salvatore Lanna suspended.
As was made clear to everybody at Marassi by his temper tantrum, Cassano picked up a yellow card that will see him banned for the reunion with his old club Roma.
Philippe Mexes will also miss that game, while six other players received a one-match ban: Bovo (Genoa), Cascione (Reggina), Marchisio (Empoli), Pozzi (Empoli), Mascara (Catania) and Pandev (Lazio).
___________________________
I never knew he was getting booked so often.
I loved the way they described Cassano's yellow.
Wednesday 19 December, 2007
Blog: Everybody hates Inter
It is inevitable the club with the power will be the magnet for dislike, but Susy Campanale argues Inter are bringing this universal scorn upon themselves
i recently met with some London-based Italian football fans and it turned into something of a target practice session as everyone ploughed into the lone Inter supporter. He took it with good grace and I apologised to him afterwards, for it really is not the fault of the tifosi.
The Nerazzurri will inevitably draw criticism and dislike because – like Juventus pre-Calciopoli – they are victorious, powerful and therefore dull. Yet the club is doing everything possible to make that dislike turn into vitriolic Schadenfreude-style hatred by being the world’s worst winners.
It all began with Calciopoli, when Serie A’s lovable buffoons were handed the 2006 title by default. Rather than conceding it was a meaningless token gesture, they had the gall to celebrate it and state this was the “Scudetto of honesty and justice.”
When they finally did manage to dominate the season with all their major rivals hampered by points penalties or demotion, good grace was far too much to ask. Roberto Mancini, Massimo Moratti and several players publicly announced they hoped Milan would lose the Champions League Final to Liverpool, because otherwise that would spoil their own Scudetto party.
In the words of Steve Martin: “Well excuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeeee!!!” Only a club as small-minded and petty as Inter could put this sort of sibling rivalry above the interests of Italian football as a whole. Considering the make-up of their squad it wouldn’t surprise me if at the World Cup they had been cheering on Argentina rather than the Azzurri.
Six months on and the lesson has not been learned. Mancini scoffed at the Club World Cup as “nothing more than a friendly tournament” and admitted he would not be supporting Milan or Boca Juniors in the Final. Even if everyone at the club secretly hoped for a Milan defeat, the official representatives are not supposed to come out and say it!
It’s a sad day when you need to take advice on sportsmanship and fair play from Silvio Berlusconi, but that’s exactly what happened. “If Inter were challenging for an international trophy and representing Italian football, we would be cheering them on.” Not that it’s likely to happen, but still, it was a nice gesture from Berlusca.
So I apologise to that Inter fan, but no matter how many trophies, records and star players your side manages to notch up, you will have the rest of Italy willing with all their heart and soul for your absolute humiliation. Nothing personal.
source: http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/sc6.html
Blog: Everybody hates Inter
It is inevitable the club with the power will be the magnet for dislike, but Susy Campanale argues Inter are bringing this universal scorn upon themselves
i recently met with some London-based Italian football fans and it turned into something of a target practice session as everyone ploughed into the lone Inter supporter. He took it with good grace and I apologised to him afterwards, for it really is not the fault of the tifosi.
The Nerazzurri will inevitably draw criticism and dislike because – like Juventus pre-Calciopoli – they are victorious, powerful and therefore dull. Yet the club is doing everything possible to make that dislike turn into vitriolic Schadenfreude-style hatred by being the world’s worst winners.
It all began with Calciopoli, when Serie A’s lovable buffoons were handed the 2006 title by default. Rather than conceding it was a meaningless token gesture, they had the gall to celebrate it and state this was the “Scudetto of honesty and justice.”
When they finally did manage to dominate the season with all their major rivals hampered by points penalties or demotion, good grace was far too much to ask. Roberto Mancini, Massimo Moratti and several players publicly announced they hoped Milan would lose the Champions League Final to Liverpool, because otherwise that would spoil their own Scudetto party.
In the words of Steve Martin: “Well excuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeeee!!!” Only a club as small-minded and petty as Inter could put this sort of sibling rivalry above the interests of Italian football as a whole. Considering the make-up of their squad it wouldn’t surprise me if at the World Cup they had been cheering on Argentina rather than the Azzurri.
Six months on and the lesson has not been learned. Mancini scoffed at the Club World Cup as “nothing more than a friendly tournament” and admitted he would not be supporting Milan or Boca Juniors in the Final. Even if everyone at the club secretly hoped for a Milan defeat, the official representatives are not supposed to come out and say it!
It’s a sad day when you need to take advice on sportsmanship and fair play from Silvio Berlusconi, but that’s exactly what happened. “If Inter were challenging for an international trophy and representing Italian football, we would be cheering them on.” Not that it’s likely to happen, but still, it was a nice gesture from Berlusca.
So I apologise to that Inter fan, but no matter how many trophies, records and star players your side manages to notch up, you will have the rest of Italy willing with all their heart and soul for your absolute humiliation. Nothing personal.
source: http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/sc6.html
- unsportsmanlike and ungentlemanly! No wonder no-one in football likes them (other than brainless wonders). .
Berlusconi also looked ahead to this weekend’s much-anticipated derby clash against Inter, and revealed that the Nerazzurri President Massimo Moratti called him to congratulate him on Sunday’s Club World Cup success over Boca Juniors.
“Moratti called me to compliment us on our victory and to look forward to Sunday,” the ex-Italian prime minister said.
“Inter are playing well, they have an adequate Coach and a passionate president. They have all what is needed to win and I believe they will continue to do so.”
----------
What a great compliment
“Moratti called me to compliment us on our victory and to look forward to Sunday,” the ex-Italian prime minister said.
“Inter are playing well, they have an adequate Coach and a passionate president. They have all what is needed to win and I believe they will continue to do so.”
----------
What a great compliment
Berlusconi also looked ahead to this weekend’s much-anticipated derby clash against Inter, and revealed that the Nerazzurri President Massimo Moratti called him to congratulate him on Sunday’s Club World Cup success over Boca Juniors.
“Moratti called me to compliment us on our victory and to look forward to Sunday,” the ex-Italian prime minister said.
“Inter are playing well, they have an adequate Coach and a passionate president. They have all what is needed to win and I believe they will continue to do so.”
----------
What a great compliment
“Moratti called me to compliment us on our victory and to look forward to Sunday,” the ex-Italian prime minister said.
“Inter are playing well, they have an adequate Coach and a passionate president. They have all what is needed to win and I believe they will continue to do so.”
----------
What a great compliment
Fan Versus Fan: Inter - Milan
It is always personal when Inter and Milan face off, and that is unlikely to change on Sunday evening. With bragging rights in the city of Milan for the next five months on stake, Goal.com asked Inter fan Matt Distefano and Milan fan Roberto Rivera to set the scene.
GOAL: First of all, how do you feel about your side's season so far?
Matt (Inter): I am extremely pleased with our start to the season. We sit at the top of the Serie A table and haven’t lost in the domestic competition. We qualified in the top spot of our Champions League Group and it’s good to bleed black and blue at the moment unlike our cross town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): I’m disappointed that we have played very poorly in the league, but our form is now improving, and I feel optimistic about the rest of the season.
GOAL: What were the goals at the start? How have they been revised, if at all?
Matt (Inter): Our goals were to win the Scudetto, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia and nothing has changed as everything is going to plan right now unlike our cross town rivals
Roberto (Milan): Our goals were to defend our Champions League title, and to compete for the Scudetto. Well, the second one has basically gone out the window, and we are now placing everything in the Champions League basket.
GOAL: How do you rate your opponents' start to the season?
Matt (Inter): They have been terrible as they sit a whopping 22 points behind us at the moment. They will tell you that they have three games in hand and won the Club World Cup but where would you rather be: 18 points ahead of your bitter rivals or celebrating an outdated, irrelevant club competition which nobody other than the participants care about.
Roberto (Milan): I think they have played almost as well as possible. They win most of their games, so that is an enviable position.
GOAL: Who do you think has the edge heading into this weekend's game and why?
Matt (Inter): We have not lost yet this year in the Serie A and are riding a wave of confidence since we beat Milan twice last year. Four prominent midfield players are injured right now but we haven’t missed a beat as our squad depth is paying great dividends right now unlike our cross town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): It’s hard to say, but we are coming off of a high from winning the Club World Cup (CWC) last weekend, so hopefully we won’t be lax in our effort this time around.
GOAL: Tactically, where do you think the key to this game will lie?
Matt (Inter): It will lie upfront where our strikers actually do what they are paid to do which is to score goals unlike our cross town rivals. Ibra, Cruz, Suazo and Crespo are the best strike force in Europe hands down.
Roberto (Milan): Our defense has to control Inter’s strikers. Suazo and Ibrahimovic, two players who almost joined us, are incredibly dangerous.
GOAL: Which opposition player do you consider to be the greatest threat to your team in this clash?
Matt (Inter): Dida. He has killed us in recent derbies. He does not play well against other teams but saves his best performances for us.
Roberto (Milan): David Suazo always gives us a lot of trouble. His speed and dribbling ability can tear apart any defense.
GOAL: Would you want him in your team?
Matt (Inter): Absolutely not, Julio Cesar has been wonderful for us and sits only behind Gigi Buffon in the Serie A pecking order for goalkeepers.
Roberto (Milan): Yes, and we almost had him this past summer, if it hadn’t been for Inter beating us to his signature.
GOAL: What are your team’s strengths at the moment?
Matt (Inter): Our squad depth is unreal, I dare you to name a team that loses as many midfielders as we have and still does not miss a beat. We also have the best strike force in Europe unlike our cross-town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): Kakà, Kakà, and Kakà! He is surely the best player on the planet (as confirmed by his winning of every individual trophy on offer).
GOAL: And weaknesses?
Matt (Inter): Kryptonite.
Roberto (Milan): We still have trouble scoring goals by the strikers, although Filippo Inzaghi played very well in the CWC, so maybe he can start getting goals in the league.
GOAL: Who from your team should we keep a particular eye on here?
Matt (Inter): Ibrahimovic at the front, Cambiasso in the middle and Maicon at the back.
Roberto (Milan): Kakà. He is in amazing form right now, and ripped up the Boca Juniors defense in the second half of the CWC final.
GOAL: Who is your all time number one hate figure, or object of amusement, from their lot?
Matt (Inter): Ronaldo would be the easy choice but since he has spent most of stay in the bad half of Milan on the treatment table I have the sneaking suspicion that maybe he is working for us. I would have to say Inzaghi because when he scores a goal from two feet away with the goalie on the other side of the net he runs around like he just blasted a 35 yard scissor kick to win the World Cup…every goal he celebrates like that.
Roberto (Milan): I have never liked Ivan Ramiro Cordoba. While I don’t usually take cheap shots at opposing players, I think he is a complete j---
GOAL: What would you envy about them, if anything?
Matt (Inter): That they receive 5 minutes of extra time whenever they are losing no matter if there were any injuries or not.
Roberto (Milan): The breadth of talent in their squad. We have plenty of great players, but not as many as Inter.
GOAL: What was the best bit of business ever done between the two clubs?
Matt (Inter): When we decided to split from them in 1908.
Roberto (Milan): A lot of players have crossed over from the ugly blue and black to our side, but Clarence Seedorf has been a great purchase for us.
GOAL: What's your fondest memory of past clashes against them?
Matt (Inter): Adriano’s winner in extra time.
Roberto (Milan): Winning the Champions League semifinal against them in 2003 (which propelled on to defeating Juventus in the final) was a huge victory.
GOAL: What do you think the score of this match will be, and how will it affect your week?
Matt (Inter): It will finish 3-1 for Inter and the holiday season will be that much merrier.
Roberto (Milan): I really do think we can beat Inter this time around, after being humiliated in one of the encounters last season. If we win 2-1, I would be happy enough.
source: http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=522925
god that inter fan deserves to be sent to hell for his comments!!! i hope milan can beat inter tomorrow not that i care but it would help slow down inter a bit and gives us a real chance to catch up with them specially with the cl matches ahead in feb.
It is always personal when Inter and Milan face off, and that is unlikely to change on Sunday evening. With bragging rights in the city of Milan for the next five months on stake, Goal.com asked Inter fan Matt Distefano and Milan fan Roberto Rivera to set the scene.
GOAL: First of all, how do you feel about your side's season so far?
Matt (Inter): I am extremely pleased with our start to the season. We sit at the top of the Serie A table and haven’t lost in the domestic competition. We qualified in the top spot of our Champions League Group and it’s good to bleed black and blue at the moment unlike our cross town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): I’m disappointed that we have played very poorly in the league, but our form is now improving, and I feel optimistic about the rest of the season.
GOAL: What were the goals at the start? How have they been revised, if at all?
Matt (Inter): Our goals were to win the Scudetto, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia and nothing has changed as everything is going to plan right now unlike our cross town rivals
Roberto (Milan): Our goals were to defend our Champions League title, and to compete for the Scudetto. Well, the second one has basically gone out the window, and we are now placing everything in the Champions League basket.
GOAL: How do you rate your opponents' start to the season?
Matt (Inter): They have been terrible as they sit a whopping 22 points behind us at the moment. They will tell you that they have three games in hand and won the Club World Cup but where would you rather be: 18 points ahead of your bitter rivals or celebrating an outdated, irrelevant club competition which nobody other than the participants care about.
Roberto (Milan): I think they have played almost as well as possible. They win most of their games, so that is an enviable position.
GOAL: Who do you think has the edge heading into this weekend's game and why?
Matt (Inter): We have not lost yet this year in the Serie A and are riding a wave of confidence since we beat Milan twice last year. Four prominent midfield players are injured right now but we haven’t missed a beat as our squad depth is paying great dividends right now unlike our cross town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): It’s hard to say, but we are coming off of a high from winning the Club World Cup (CWC) last weekend, so hopefully we won’t be lax in our effort this time around.
GOAL: Tactically, where do you think the key to this game will lie?
Matt (Inter): It will lie upfront where our strikers actually do what they are paid to do which is to score goals unlike our cross town rivals. Ibra, Cruz, Suazo and Crespo are the best strike force in Europe hands down.
Roberto (Milan): Our defense has to control Inter’s strikers. Suazo and Ibrahimovic, two players who almost joined us, are incredibly dangerous.
GOAL: Which opposition player do you consider to be the greatest threat to your team in this clash?
Matt (Inter): Dida. He has killed us in recent derbies. He does not play well against other teams but saves his best performances for us.
Roberto (Milan): David Suazo always gives us a lot of trouble. His speed and dribbling ability can tear apart any defense.
GOAL: Would you want him in your team?
Matt (Inter): Absolutely not, Julio Cesar has been wonderful for us and sits only behind Gigi Buffon in the Serie A pecking order for goalkeepers.
Roberto (Milan): Yes, and we almost had him this past summer, if it hadn’t been for Inter beating us to his signature.
GOAL: What are your team’s strengths at the moment?
Matt (Inter): Our squad depth is unreal, I dare you to name a team that loses as many midfielders as we have and still does not miss a beat. We also have the best strike force in Europe unlike our cross-town rivals.
Roberto (Milan): Kakà, Kakà, and Kakà! He is surely the best player on the planet (as confirmed by his winning of every individual trophy on offer).
GOAL: And weaknesses?
Matt (Inter): Kryptonite.
Roberto (Milan): We still have trouble scoring goals by the strikers, although Filippo Inzaghi played very well in the CWC, so maybe he can start getting goals in the league.
GOAL: Who from your team should we keep a particular eye on here?
Matt (Inter): Ibrahimovic at the front, Cambiasso in the middle and Maicon at the back.
Roberto (Milan): Kakà. He is in amazing form right now, and ripped up the Boca Juniors defense in the second half of the CWC final.
GOAL: Who is your all time number one hate figure, or object of amusement, from their lot?
Matt (Inter): Ronaldo would be the easy choice but since he has spent most of stay in the bad half of Milan on the treatment table I have the sneaking suspicion that maybe he is working for us. I would have to say Inzaghi because when he scores a goal from two feet away with the goalie on the other side of the net he runs around like he just blasted a 35 yard scissor kick to win the World Cup…every goal he celebrates like that.
Roberto (Milan): I have never liked Ivan Ramiro Cordoba. While I don’t usually take cheap shots at opposing players, I think he is a complete j---
GOAL: What would you envy about them, if anything?
Matt (Inter): That they receive 5 minutes of extra time whenever they are losing no matter if there were any injuries or not.
Roberto (Milan): The breadth of talent in their squad. We have plenty of great players, but not as many as Inter.
GOAL: What was the best bit of business ever done between the two clubs?
Matt (Inter): When we decided to split from them in 1908.
Roberto (Milan): A lot of players have crossed over from the ugly blue and black to our side, but Clarence Seedorf has been a great purchase for us.
GOAL: What's your fondest memory of past clashes against them?
Matt (Inter): Adriano’s winner in extra time.
Roberto (Milan): Winning the Champions League semifinal against them in 2003 (which propelled on to defeating Juventus in the final) was a huge victory.
GOAL: What do you think the score of this match will be, and how will it affect your week?
Matt (Inter): It will finish 3-1 for Inter and the holiday season will be that much merrier.
Roberto (Milan): I really do think we can beat Inter this time around, after being humiliated in one of the encounters last season. If we win 2-1, I would be happy enough.
source: http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=522925
god that inter fan deserves to be sent to hell for his comments!!! i hope milan can beat inter tomorrow not that i care but it would help slow down inter a bit and gives us a real chance to catch up with them specially with the cl matches ahead in feb.
Mancini expects derby fireworks
Inter boss Roberto Mancini assures the Milan derby will be “spectacular,” but that he feels no rivalry with their cousins.
“It is a derby, so as always there will be a special atmosphere,” said the Coach ahead of the Sunday afternoon showdown.
“It is the meeting of two great teams and there will be some spectacular football on show. Both of us have the players who can make the difference at any moment.”
This would usually be an evening kick-off, but as it is the last game of 2007 the big match takes on an extra layer of significance.
“A derby is always important and these are two of the most successful sides in the world going face to face, but the fact it is on December 23 makes it a little different to usual.”
The Rossoneri are feeling the pressure to get back into Serie A contention after winning the Club World Cup in Japan, but Mancini insists it is he who must shoulder the greatest burden.
“We are top of the table, so we are the ones who have the most to lose in this encounter.”
The lead-up to the game has been particularly tense, with Mancini and his men accused of belittling the Club World Cup and other achievements of their neighbours.
“There is absolutely no rivalry between myself and Carlo Ancelotti. It is only normal that there should be some rivalry between the teams, but I don’t even feel it. My real rivalry is from when I was a player for Sampdoria against Genoa, so nothing bothers me now.”
There is some good news for the Inter boss, as Luis Jimenez returns to the squad after time out with an injury.
Dejan Stankovic, Olivier Dacourt, Luis Figo and Patrick Vieira remain sidelined. It is believed Mancini will scrap the trident attack and return to a more solid system with Jimenez supporting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Cruz.
Inter squad: 12 Julio Cesar, 22 Orlandoni; 2 Cordoba, 4 Zanetti, 6 Maxwell, 13 Maicon, 16 Burdisso, 23 Materazzi, 24 Rivas, 25 Samuel, 26 Chivu; 11 Jimenez, 19 Cambiasso, 21 Solari, 30 Pelè, 31 Cesar; 8 Ibrahimovic, 9 Cruz, 18 Crespo, 29 Suazo
source: channel4.com
Inter boss Roberto Mancini assures the Milan derby will be “spectacular,” but that he feels no rivalry with their cousins.
“It is a derby, so as always there will be a special atmosphere,” said the Coach ahead of the Sunday afternoon showdown.
“It is the meeting of two great teams and there will be some spectacular football on show. Both of us have the players who can make the difference at any moment.”
This would usually be an evening kick-off, but as it is the last game of 2007 the big match takes on an extra layer of significance.
“A derby is always important and these are two of the most successful sides in the world going face to face, but the fact it is on December 23 makes it a little different to usual.”
The Rossoneri are feeling the pressure to get back into Serie A contention after winning the Club World Cup in Japan, but Mancini insists it is he who must shoulder the greatest burden.
“We are top of the table, so we are the ones who have the most to lose in this encounter.”
The lead-up to the game has been particularly tense, with Mancini and his men accused of belittling the Club World Cup and other achievements of their neighbours.
“There is absolutely no rivalry between myself and Carlo Ancelotti. It is only normal that there should be some rivalry between the teams, but I don’t even feel it. My real rivalry is from when I was a player for Sampdoria against Genoa, so nothing bothers me now.”
There is some good news for the Inter boss, as Luis Jimenez returns to the squad after time out with an injury.
Dejan Stankovic, Olivier Dacourt, Luis Figo and Patrick Vieira remain sidelined. It is believed Mancini will scrap the trident attack and return to a more solid system with Jimenez supporting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Cruz.
Inter squad: 12 Julio Cesar, 22 Orlandoni; 2 Cordoba, 4 Zanetti, 6 Maxwell, 13 Maicon, 16 Burdisso, 23 Materazzi, 24 Rivas, 25 Samuel, 26 Chivu; 11 Jimenez, 19 Cambiasso, 21 Solari, 30 Pelè, 31 Cesar; 8 Ibrahimovic, 9 Cruz, 18 Crespo, 29 Suazo
source: channel4.com
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