Inter supporter Martino Olmeda goes head-to-head with Juventus fan Franco Rizzo ahead of the big Serie A derby clash at San Siro on Saturday night. Be prepared for an explosive war of words…
GOAL: First of all, how do you feel about your side's season so far?
Martino (Inter): I’m very happy because we are top of Serie A and we are also close to qualifying from our Champions League group. Our performances haven’t always been convincing, but that is mostly due to our coach Jose Mourinho’s 4-3-3 system that isn’t really the best for us. Lately, though, he has been reverting to a more functional 4-4-2, which is a good sign.
Franco (Juventus): I am very surprised by the season so far. I expected us to be in a worse position than the one we are in now, especially after we went through a really bad run in October when we lost to both Palermo and Napoli. Now we are doing great - onwards and upwards - time to leap-frog Inter!
GOAL: How important is this game?
Inter: It is important for morale, as neither team will be out of the Scudetto race in case of a defeat. But there is a very fierce and angry rivalry between these two teams, just like the one between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That is what makes this such an important game for the fans and both clubs as a whole. Such is the rivalry that this is a game that can make or break both teams’ season.
Juventus: It’s the most important game of our season. We all know what really happened during Calciopoli, and we are fired up for revenge. We have to beat them. We can’t lose, or we will fall six points behind them, and this will be hard to get back knowing all the refereeing decisions they always get.
GOAL: How do you rate your opponents' season?
Inter: They had a poor spell about a month ago, but they have recovered nicely and I think they’ve won their last seven games on the trot. I was also impressed with the way they beat Real Madrid both home and away in the Champions League. So I would say they are doing quite well overall.
Juventus: I rate them very highly but nothing has changed since last term. The only difference is Jose Mourinho and a few players. The football is the same. I think Roberto Mancini would be doing better if he was still there.
GOAL: Who do you think has the edge heading into this weekend's game, and why?
Inter: I think they may be slightly more confident because they have won seven games consecutively, and they beat Genoa 4-1, who are one of the most in-form teams in Serie A. Meanwhile, we have been struggling a little, often winning thanks to late goals or individual moments of brilliance, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two screamers against Palermo last week.
Juventus: We go into the game in better form as we have won seven games on the trot, which has given us a lot of confidence. Our key players like Chiellini, Sissoko and Del Piero, are in great shape too. Inter have not been playing well, and have been fluking results with last minute goals, so I think we have the edge.
GOAL: Tactically, where do you think the key to this game will lie?
Inter: You could say defence, because we have two class players like Chivu and Cordoba out, so we will certainly have some problems at the back (I really hope Burdisso doesn’t play… I guess I don’t need to explain why). The midfield battle will also be interesting, because I think that both teams are very strong physically but perhaps lacking in quality. And in the attack, it will obviously be a battle between Del Piero and Ibrahimovic, who are both in red hot form.
Juventus: Juve’s high line defence has been brilliant this term but then playing that way against a 4-3-3 could be a touch risky. Keeping Ibrahimovic shackled will be key, but I am full of confidence that he will do nothing. Everyone knows that the Swede is a big game flop – and Chiellini will have him in his little pocket like he did last season.
GOAL: Which opposition player do you consider to be the greatest threat to your team in this clash?
Inter: Del Piero, for obvious reasons. He frequently finds the net against us, and with the form he is in at the moment I just know he will score in this game, so if we doesn’t score we are going to lose. However, we should not ignore players like Amauri, Pavel Nedved, and Mauro Camoranesi, with especially the last two always reserving their best performances for us.
Juventus: None of them. Inter’s players are like Mourinho’s jokes, always the same and easy to predict. You can tell what’s coming. If I was really forced to pick a player, I would say Ibrahimovic but, as I said in my last answer, I don’t expect him to do anything. He is the Cristiano Ronaldo of the Italian league – destroys all the little teams and scores loads of penalties, but flops in big games against good players and teams.
GOAL: What are your team’s strengths at the moment?
Inter: Whenever Burdisso isn’t playing, we have been defending quite well. Defence was also one of our main strengths during Mancini’s period, and I didn’t think that would change under Mourinho. And of course, we have a certain Ibrahimovic playing up front who is performing miracles. I can’t think many other big clubs who depend so heavily on one player as we do on Ibra.
Juventus: Scoring goals - Del Piero and Amauri are on fire. We have been excellent up front and at the back too. The partnership between Nicola Legrottaglie and Giorgio Chiellini has been outstanding, possibly the top pairing in the Campionato at the moment.
GOAL: And weaknesses?
Inter: Going forward we rarely look confident or fluent, and often rely on physical strength and stamina to break down defences, rather than flair. That can work in certain games in Serie A, but it’s not enough in the Champions League.
Juventus: Perhaps Claudio Ranieri’s substitutions and tactical tinkering in crucial matches, like the games against Napoli and Palermo. We let out guard down and too many changes destabilise the team.
GOAL: Who is your all time number one hate figure, or object of amusement, from their lot?
Inter: That’s an easy one: their former “manager” (read: match fixer) Luciano Moggi. The guy was as corrupt and false as Silvio Berlusconi, and yet the majority of Juve fans still defend him. They don’t realise that it was his cheating and scamming that led to their relegation in 2006. If it weren’t for him, they would probably have a lot more credibility and two more Scudetti to their name. Because of his presence there between 1994 and 2006, all their victories during that period look suspect. And they can say they have 29 titles all they want, but they are not getting a third star if they win another Scudetto.
Juventus: It has to be Massimo Moratti. He is always pouring scorn on us and he is a hypocrite. Everyone apart from Inter fans know that he was responsible for setting up Calciopoli because he couldn’t bear to see Juve dominate any longer. Type in ‘Farsopoli’ on google and read all about this despicable man and how he brought Juve down. He won’t be smiling this weekend though. He should be going to prison, not Luciano Moggi. One day the truth will come out.
GOAL: What would you envy about them, if anything?
Inter: They always seem to have a group of players who really care about Juventus, such as Del Piero, Nedved, Giorgio Chiellini, Gigi Buffon, and David Trezeguet. They have a strong group spirit and sometimes it looks as if there are a bunch of real Juve fans on the pitch.
Juventus: You must be joking. We have won double the amount of Scudetti they have. They went the best part of 20 years without winning a title, and would still be searching now were it not for Calciopoli - there is nothing I envy about them. They bought their success, we played for ours.
GOAL: What do you think the score of this match will be, and how will it affect your week?
Inter: Although I would not be surprised at anything in this game, I’m still going to predict an Inter victory, of course, with us winning 2-1 thanks to goals by Cruz and Ibrahimovic, and Del Piero finding the net for Juve. FORZA INTER!!!
Juventus: I think it will be a 2-1 win for us. Whether it affects my week depends on the result. I’ll take a draw now. If we win then I know we’ll win the Scudetto, if we lose then who cares? It’s only Inter.