Julio Cruz has urged Inter to strike a decisive blow in the Serie A title race by winning Sunday’s Milan derby.
Antonio Conte’s side are one point clear of AC Milan heading into the Derby della Madonnina, having leapfrogged their city rivals with their 3-1 win over Lazio last Sunday.
Inter appear to have the psychological advantage given their strong run of form and El Jardinero is under no illusions how important this weekend might be.
“I think it will be a very heartfelt game, they are both at the top of the table,” Cruz explained in an interview with PassioneInter.com.
“Inter played a wonderful match against Lazio, they are a compact team which fights and does what Conte asks of them.
“Romelu Lukaku is in great form, he has shown that he is a great centre-forward.
“He scores goals and also works a lot for the team.
“He did a crazy thing when he assisted Lautaro Martinez for the third goal versus Lazio.
“I hope and think that Inter can play like this until the end of the season.
“Winning on Sunday would be very important for the Scudetto.”
Cruz, who scored 75 goals in a total of 197 appearances during his spell with Inter between 2003 and 2009, was then asked to recall some of his memories from playing in the Derby della Madonnina.
He discussed the Nerazzurri’s 2-1 win in March 2007 when Ronaldo scored against Inter, having signed for AC Milan earlier that season.
“I’ll never forget it,” Cruz explained.
“It was one of the most exciting memories of my career.
“That game I was on the bench, I wanted to play.
“All week we talked about nothing but the derby and the return of Ronaldo to San Siro as an opponent of Inter.
“Moratti would repeat to me every day: ‘Come on Julio, score on Sunday!’
“I came on in the second half after Ronaldo had already scored, and after 11 seconds I scored the equaliser.
“The best moment of all then came when Zlatan Ibrahimovic got the second goal from my assist.
“Everyone was waiting for that victory, and it arrived.
“I’ve had a lot of good moments at Inter, but that one beats them all.
“I hope Inter can emulate us on Sunday and then win the Scudetto.”
The former Argentina international, who also played for Lazio, Bologna and Feyenoord during his time in Europe, then spared a word for Inter’s supporters.
“I hope this can be Inter’s year, they’re a very united team,” Cruz said.
“Conte knows what he wants, he is convinced of what he does and the team follows him.
“The Nerazzurri’s fans deserve a Scudetto.”
Cruz also praised Inter’s owners Suning for the work they have done while in charge of the club, before sharing his views on continued speculation regarding the potential sale of the club.
“I don’t know the Zhang family or Suning personally, but I see that they are taking Inter to the top,” he added.
“I don’t know the current corporate events, but if this is the best for Inter, then so be it.
“I see Inter in good health.”