Inzaghi wary of Roma and Mourinho ahead of crunch clash

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is wary of the threat posed by AS Roma and its boss Jose Mourinho ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash.

Inter Milan head coach, Simone Inzaghi.

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is wary of the threat posed by a resurgent AS Roma and its boss Jose Mourinho ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash in his side’s Serie A title defence.

Mourinho returns to the scene of his greatest managerial achievement - winning a treble of the Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Champions League crown in 2010 with Inter - a feat never accomplished before or since in Italy. The Portuguese coach is starting to find his feet at Roma, too, with the capital club unbeaten in 12 Serie A matches and in with a chance of sneaking into the top four, as it trails Juventus in fourth by five points.

“We are facing one of the strongest teams in Serie A, coached by a great coach we all know for his journey in Italy and in Europe,” Inzaghi told a news conference on Friday.

‘Like a final’

“They are in an excellent moment, they have not lost in the league since January against Juventus and therefore great attention will be needed. For us it will be a very important match on Saturday, like a final.”

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Three league wins in a row, coupled with slip-ups from its rivals, have helped champion Inter climb back into the title race ahead of Roma’s visit - it is two points behind leader AC Milan with a game in hand, meaning the Scudetto remains in its hands.

Victory over Roma on Saturday will take Inter back to the top of the standings, with Milan not in action until it faces Lazio on Sunday. “We know that there is a month to go to the finish line and we have many close matches,” he added. “We will always have to prepare ourselves as best we can, especially against Roma. We will find opponents who will create difficulties for us. We have been doing an excellent job since July. After the start of the season, expectations have risen but this should not discourage us. We must finish this long and difficult season in the best possible way.”

Inzaghi also said he has a fully fit squad to choose from other than Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal who has an ankle injury.