Milan: Antonio Conte warned Inter Milan were angry at their defeat to Barcelona and ready to fight to maintain their Serie A supremacy against his former club Juventus in this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash at the San Siro.
Inter, riding high with a perfect run of six wins, play at home to the defending champions, who are two points behind, on Sunday. “We are hurting,” said Conte after falling to a 2-1 Champions League defeat in the Camp Nou despite Lautaro Martinez’s second minute goal. “There is bitterness and anger at the result. All we can do now is lick our wounds and prepare for Sunday’s match, but I saw courage and character.” Conte, 50, knows his rivals well having coached Juventus to the first three of their current run of eight titles, before going on to coach the Italian national team followed by two seasons at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Juventus have been boosted ahead of the ‘Derby d’Italia’ after with a confident 3-0 win over European rivals Bayer Leverkusen. A win would allow Inter to move five points clear of Maurizio Sarri’s second-placed champions. Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku remains doubtful, however, after a minor thigh injury ruled him out of the trip to Spain. Lukaku has scored three goals in his first seven games since moving from Manchester United. It will be the 200th time both clubs have met in the league with Inter’s last win coming three years ago in the San Siro. Last season Juventus won 1-0 at home with both sides settling for a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 600th career goal. (AFP)
