Former AC Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has refused to rule the Rossoneri out of the Serie A title race and urged them not to give up hope as they try to chase Inter down.

Inter currently sit six points ahead with a game in hand on their city rivals, and Zaccheroni conceded that the title was very much in the Nerazzurri’s hands.

However, he insisted that Milan had to remain in the race to pounce on any slip ups by Inter, and referred to his success with the Diavolo in chasing Lazio down to win the title in 1999.

“The spirit [at Milan] is the same but the group seems a little less sure than in the previous months. They should not be though, in Serie A nobody is as compact or plays as well,” Zaccheroni claimed in an interview published in today’s newspaper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“This league title can only be lost by Inter. This obliges Milan to stay there and take advantage, in case Inter make the mistake of trying to manage the title like Lazio in ’99.

“This team is the opposite of mine. I coached [Paolo] Maldini, [Alessandro] Costacurta, [Zvonimir] Boban, [George] Weah, people who had won everything and were approaching the end of their dominant cycle. Today’s Milan are young and have a unique opportunity, almost none of them have won anything,” the 68-year-old concluded.

Zaccheroni led Milan to the Scudetto in 1999 and also had spells as coach of Inter in 2003-04 and Juventus in 2010.

Inter hope to continue their charge towards the Serie A title when they visit Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara this evening.