Ahead of this weekend’s first Derby della Madonnina, AC Milan chief football officer Zvonimir Boban has spoken on just how special the match is.

“When explaining football, it’s often said that there are no words to describe certain moments and the derby is certainly one of these,” he explained in an interview with Milan TV.

“If you haven’t played it, you don’t really understand it and even if you played it, you can’t describe the strength, passion and also the pressure that accompanies this match. Then, if you’re brave and have character, as soon as you touch the ball for the first time, everything disappears.”

He added: “In other games you have to look for extra motivation, but in this one it’s almost the opposite: you have to try to relax because otherwise you risk being overwhelmed by emotion. It is a unique derby in the footballing world between two clubs that respect each other but that have an incredible, historic and beautiful rivalry”