Inter Milan v AS Roma
Inter Milan v AS Roma – Saturday 17 September – San Siro (21:45)
The Italian Serie A is still at an early stage and teams are attempting to kick into gear. Each team will be looking to get off to the best of starts from the get go. This mammoth clash never fails to deliver.
Inter Milan have not made the best of starts thus far as they lost their opening fixture. They were locked in a goal fest as they were out done 4-3 against Palermo. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini was not a happy man and stated in a post match interview that there are a few things that need to be sorted out at the club. The saga of Dutch international Wesley Sneijder has unsettled the squad a bit as it was believed that the Dutchmen was on the verge of joining English champions Manchester United, but could not agree terms due to his wages demand. Inter Milan are entering a similar phase to that of their rivals AC Milan as they have a number of aging players and this seems to be their down fall thus far. The manager has brought in two new players in Argentinean midfielder Ricardo Alvarez and opted for the Uruguayan international striker Diego Forlan who was brought in to replace Samuel Eto’o. Forlan took little time to settle in as he was on the score sheet this past weekend. There is no doubt Inter will challenge for the title every season but the amount of ageing players could hamper their pursuit.
Roma also went down in their opening fixture as they lost 2-1 to Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico. The new man at the helm, Luis Enrique, will have a lot to do to get his team firing on all cylinders. Roma finished in 6th place last term and the Spaniard will be looking to go one step further in this new campaign. The manager opted for a few loan deals to help with his team’s pursuit for glory. His brought in Argentinean midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid, Danish international Simon Kjaer from Wolfsburg and Italian striker Fabio Borini from Parma. These players are all experienced figures and will no doubt improve the quality of the team. Club captain Francesco Totti is now becoming an aging figure and doesn’t have the legs to last 90 minutes. A lot will rest on the shoulders of vice captain Daniele De Rossi who is reaching his peak and has proved on many occasions that he can be a match winner. Luis Enrique will expect nothing but hard work and determination from his team as this was the type of individual he was during his illustrious career.
Both teams have not made the best of starts thus far and will want to get their first win under their belts. This encounter will be a tigh
