Inter-Roma, Mourinho the king of the treble returns to San Siro

His Rome has already “dodged” twice, it will not do a third. Between Inter and the Tripletino dream there is Josè Mourinho, coach Triplete. Paved in the first leg of the championship (0-3, with the partial alibi of heavy absences) and beaten in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup (2-0 at the Meazza, despite the Nerazzurri being in shock after the harakiri in the derby on 5 February), Mou in the meantime he has found the square. It is therefore destiny that Inzaghi’s team on Saturday – in a practically sold out Meazza – must make a triple somersault against his great love to get closer to the second star’s championship. Then there will be time for the Cup final with Juve (11 May).

Serie record

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If it is true that Inter seem to have reconnected the plug after the February-March hibernation, Roma are the undefeated team for several days. In the last 12 of the championship Pellegrini and his teammates have combined 7 wins and 5 draws and have remained the only Italian representative in Europe. It will also be Conference and not Champions, but Inter knows how difficult it is with the double weekly commitment. A further indication of how difficult it will be to beat the Giallorossi.

Derby effect

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Also because after a month and a half Inter will have to return to the field just four days before another match, moreover tough as it was with Milan. The last midweek match dates back to 8 March, at Liverpool, paid dearly with the draw caught at the end of Turin (just as after the first leg with the Reds the internal knockout with Sassuolo had arrived). Eliminated from the Champions League, Inzaghi’s team was able to return to training regularly and it is no coincidence that they came out of the shallows of a truly infernal start-of-year calendar. The derby, however, drained psychophysical energies in the only week in which Roma were able to take a breath. The Inter fan hopes that Mou will remember his first love and by making the line-up he will save some big players – in addition to the suspended Zaniolo – in view of the first leg semi-final at Leicester on Thursday 28 April. It will not be like that, Roma still dream of fourth place, they still want to lock up the fifth and do not forget the 0-5 of the season.

Saturday for Inter will also be the last direct clash against the top 7 in the standings. The balance is positive, even if Milan (which after Lazio will also have to face Fiorentina) have a slightly better average points: 1.80 against the 1.73 of the Italian champions. Followed by Juve (1.60) and Napoli (1.58), the only one to have already closed the circle. Of 11 challenges with the other big names, Inter won 5 (Fiorentina, Lazio, Naples and Roma itself in the first leg, Juve in the return leg), drew 4 (Juve, Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina) and lost two: in Lazio home, in October, and the February derby. That’s why winning on Saturday would also be worth three times. It would further water the Nerazzurri ego in view of the close brace between Bologna and Udinese. It would put pressure on Milan, who are busy on Sunday evening at Lazio’s home. And it would mean remaining in control of your own destiny with a calendar that in the last corners offers opponents who could have a quiet ranking: Empoli, Cagliari and Sampdoria.