Ranieri: “It'll be Del Piero's game”

Ranieri: “It'll be Del Piero's game”

The great moment is approaching. Juventus vs. Inter is almost upon us and the wait is nearly over. Words are about to leave the way to facts. The last words inevitably came from the two Managers. Ranieri met the press at the Principi di Piemonte Hotel, where the team are staying, just before setting off towards the Olimpico for the last training session.

It's the Manager's first Juventus-Inter but the subject is definitely not a novelty: “The press and the fans have been talking about this match since the summer camp in Pinzolo. It won't be a grudge match, just a good one, a classic of Italian football. Some have said that it won't be an entertaining game, with the teams staying guarded, but I don't think so. I expect it to be a fast, riveting and tactical game. Will it be dangerous to play on the attack? I don't think so and I certainly won't be the one stopping my talented players from going forward”.

It'll be a special match, due to everything that has happened in the last two years, but in the end, as always, it'll only count for the League standings. Inter Milan arrive in Turin as League leaders ready to increase their lead. This is how Ranieri views the situation: “We face the title favourites; only they can lose the title, so we need to stop them. We cannot be satisfied with a draw and what makes a team great is if they always go for the win. So for once I think that the whole of Italy, apart from Inter Milan fans, will be rooting for us. In any case, my main hope is that we can get to the return match with the same point gap as now”.

All that happened in the last two years is certainly still in the minds of the players who stayed on at Juventus after the sensational events of summer 2006: in the minds of those who won the title on the pitch and then saw it stripped and given to the Nerazzurri themselves. The Manager counts a lot on their desire to get revenge: “The old guard's contribution will be decisive. I expect a lot from the whole team, but particularly from Del Piero. I'm convinced this will be his game. Camoranesi? He's feeling better but he still can't play 90 minutes, I have to decide whether to put him on from the start or during the match. Nedved? He has a little problem, we'll see between this evening and tomorrow if he can make it”.