Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has admitted that he learnt much from Inter tactician Antonio Conte, as the pair prepare to face off in the Derby d’Italia in Serie A on Sunday.

Pirlo played a key role as a midfielder in Conte’s Juventus side from 2011 to 2014, as they won the Scudetto in every season together, and Sunday’s clash sees the pair reunited for the first time since Pirlo was named Bianconeri coach.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference yesterday, the 41-year-old cited Conte as an inspiration in his decision to take up coaching and was full of praise for his opposite number.

However, the former AC Milan midfielder insisted that despite their past relationship, he was treating Conte and Inter as opponents.

“I expect an aggressive Inter tomorrow who will want to dictate the game,” Pirlo claimed. “I learned a lot from Conte, I’m grateful to him as he taught me so many things and made me want to be a coach.

“He has great personal qualities, but tomorrow we will be opponents. Conte and I have different personalities, so perhaps that’s why we get on so well.”

Nerazzurri coach Conte is looking for his first Derby d’Italia victory on the Inter bench, having tasted success with Juventus four times. Inter themselves have failed to win this clash since September 2016, a run of seven matches.