Inter defender Francesco Acerbi feels that the Derby d’Italia match against Juventus is never a minor match, but that it is all the more so this evening with a place in the Coppa Italia up for grabs.

Speaking to InterTV ahead of this evening’s match, via FCInterNews, the 35-year-old gave his thoughts on the significance of facing off against the Bianconeri in the second leg of the Coppa Italia finals.

In the last time that Inter and Juventus met, the two sides had for the most part played a calm and controversy-free match by the standards of the fixture, although that all changed in the closing stages.

A chaotic brawl erupted following the controversial sending-off of Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku amid racist chants hurled by some Bianconeri supporters in the stands.

Whilst the racism scandal was certainly something all on its own, the sense of animosity and the desire to win at all costs is certainly par for the course whenever these two teams meet.

Given that Inter had equalized in the dying stages of the first leg, everything is still to play for in terms of reaching the Coppa Italia final, and this will add another layer to what already promises to be an intense match.

“We have massive desire to do well in front of our fans,” Acerbi said.

“We haven’t won against Juventus yet this season, and we know how hard it will be this time too,” he added.

“We have to be intelligent and approach the match with the right balance, because we know how hard it is to score against them,” the defender said.

Asked to sum up the kind of match he expects, Acerbi replied “Combatitive.”

“Let’s hope it’s a good match, we’re both desperate to reach the final.”

“The derby d’Italia is never a match to be taken lightly, it’s a massive match in all senses and we’ll try to get something great out of it,” he concluded.