Inter will have greater motivation than Juventus in tonight’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg, at least according to the Bianconeri’s former striker Alessandro Matri.
Antonio Conte’s side lost last week’s first leg at San Siro 2-1, meaning they have to score at least twice at the Allianz Stadium to stand any chance of making it into the final.
Matri spent two seasons playing under Conte in Turin and is confident his former boss will get them fired up for the third Derby d’Italia of the season.
“I expect an open game tonight because a one goal-lead is not enough for Juventus to feel safe,” the 36-year-old explained in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport for Tuesday’s print edition.
“Both teams will want to prove themselves, Inter will be more motivated because they lost the first leg and they can rely on Romelu Lukaku unlike at San Siro.
“It was surprising to see how Lukaku has settled in in Italy.
“It is thanks to Conte who has worked so much on him.”
Matri, who also played for AC Milan and Lazio during a long career that ended last May, then went on to praise Conte for the job he has done during his time in charge of Inter thus far.
“I believe that he has already done a great job, giving stability, credibility and consistency to Inter.
“It is not always possible to win the Scudetto at the first attempt, as happened to him at Juventus.
“Inter have been fighting for the title for two years, they are no longer as crazy like they used to be.
“Conte’s motivational skills are second to none.”
Matri then shared his views on Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, all of whom are well in the race to win the Serie A title this season.
“I see Juve, Inter and AC Milan on par with one another, but perhaps the Bianconeri have something more due to their squad which means they can afford to rotate massively and this is a great advantage in such a congested season,” he suggested.
Matri also had spells in Serie A playing for Cagliari, Fiorentina, Genoa, Sassuolo and Brescia, picking up seven caps for Italy.
He netted 31 times in 92 games for Juventus during two spells with the Old Lady.
