Former AC Milan full back Massimo Oddo thought that Inter deserved to be above the Rossoneri in the league table when speaking to the Italian media yesterday.

In an interview with TuttoMercatoWeb, the 44-year-old Italian discussed this afternoon’s Milanese derby.

“Inter are in a better place mentally because they have overtaken AC Milan, but the Rossoneri will want to make up ground.”

Oddo then touched on if the Nerazzurri are now the favourites in the title race.

“Having to play only one competition is an advantage. Their squad is bigger than Milan’s, but they’ve deserved to be in the lead for a long time.”

Inter overtook AC Milan in the league table last weekend, beating Simone Inzaghi’s explosive Lazio side 3-1, whilst Stefano Pioli’s Rossoneri dropped points in a 2-0 loss to 16th place Spezia.

The Nerazzurri now sit one point ahead of AC Milan in the league table. This afternoon’s derby is the first time in a decade that the league leader will be decided in a Milanese derby.

Antonio Conte’s side are experiencing a period of strong form, having picked up 13 points from a possible 15 in their last five league outings.

The Rossoneri have already lost three Serie A games since the start of the year, dropping 3-1 to Juventus, 3-0 to Atalanta and 2-0 to Spezia last weekend.

They also lost in a Milanese derby in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last month.