‘Jackass’ Conte’s Inter ready to kick back into gear against Milan

Milan: Antonio Conte branded himself a ‘jackass’ for his tactical blunders which saw Inter Milan struggle to a draw in their European opener this week, but warned they would kick back into gear on Saturday against city rivals AC Milan.

Conte’s side rescued a 1-1 draw against Czech outsiders Slavia Prague in the Champions League in the San Siro, and the former Chelsea manager said they should use that anger in their upcoming games against AC Milan and Lazio.

The Derby della Madonnina is always a fiery affair and Inter are unbeaten in their last six league games against arch rivals AC Milan.

Inter have maximum points after three games and are two points ahead of Bologna and champions Juventus, with Napoli three points adrift in fourth.

AC Milan’s focus this season is on Serie A after they lost their place in the Europa League for breaches in financial fair play rules.

New coach Marco Giampaolo’s side are seventh with two wins after their opening round defeat at Udinese.

On Saturday, the two best defences in Serie A will face off in the San Siro, with both having only conceded one goal in the league this season.

Juventus host Verona after throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Atletico Madrid in their Champions League opener.

It was the second consecutive stalemate for Maurizio Sarri’s side who also dropped points last weekend in Fiorentina.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli travel south to promoted Lecce after punishing European holders Liverpool 2-0 in the San Paolo Stadium.

It was a second match without conceding a goal after letting seven past in their first two games.

Agence France-Presse



Italian League fixtures (all times GMT):

Friday: Cagliari vs Genoa (1845); Saturday: Udinese vs Brescia (1300), Juventus vs Verona (1600), AC Milan vs Inter Milan (1845); Sunday: Sassuolo vs SPAL (1030), Bologna vs AS Roma, Lecce vs Napoli, Sampdoria vs Torino (all 1300), Atalanta vs Fiorentina (1600), Lazio vs Parma (1845)