Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi insists Sunday’s clash with Juventus will not be decisive in the Serie A title race.
Italy’s top two clubs do battle at the San Siro with only one point separating the sides and the winner guaranteed to finish the weekend at the summit.
It will be leaders Inter’s first match at home in a month after two away trips were sandwiched by Super Cup success in Saudi Arabia and they could take a big step towards a first title since 2021 with all three points.
“Tomorrow’s match is very important, but not decisive,” Inzaghi told a press conference.
“It will be very close, in the first leg (game) it was not an exciting match, but now we are playing at home in front of our fans and we will try to play a match in the best possible way.
“Juventus had a great journey, similar to ours, we are preparing as best we can .
“Both teams will have pressure, we must be happy to play this great match. There will be pressure as it should be, but we must be proud to play this challenge, we will have the push of the fans who we want to make happy.”
Inter have won 17 of their 21 Serie A matches and could open up a four-point gap at the top with a game in hand with victory over Juventus.
The first clash between the teams ended 1-1 back in November, but the hosts will be without former Juventus ace Juan Cuadrado due to injury.
Inzaghi added: “There has been a lot of talk about favourites, we are Inter and we know we have great responsibilities in every match.
“We have already played 30 very positive ones, in January we played five matches in 22 days, of which the last four were away from San Siro and we won a trophy.
“We have to look ahead though, we want to make this match ours. I wouldn’t make comparisons though, there are still four months to go and it’s not yet decisive.”
Inzaghi has won eight cups since becoming a manager, but not tasted Serie A success.
Opposite number Massimiliano Allegri has won six Scudettos, five of them during his first spell with Juventus.
However, Inzaghi, 47, played down suggestions the match will be decided by the two coaches, with Allegri winning nine of their 18 meetings.
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“I have great respect for Allegri. Fortunately we have won a lot with Juventus, even if we have also lost in recent years,” Inzaghi said.
“The challenge is not Inzaghi-Allegri, but Inter-Juventus. The protagonists are the players who go on the pitch to help their teams.
“Allegri has won a lot, he is a winning and expert coach. He is very practical, I like him a lot.
“I think I saw an excellent Juventus this year. They won 16 games out of 21. They were very good, to keep the Inter’s pace required a super team and they are proving to be one.”
Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus: Emery's side frustrated as VAR denies Rogers late winner
Aston Villa were denied a dramatic victory over Juventus after Morgan Rogers saw a stoppage-time goal chalked off in the 0-0 draw.
Unai Emery's side were left frustrated at not leaving Villa Park with all three points, having controlled large periods against the Serie A outfit, who started again with a recognised striker.
Villa, seeking a third win in as many home Champions League games this season, went close in the 37th minute as Ollie Watkins' instinctive shot was beaten away by Michele Di Gregorio.
Timothy Weah fired narrowly over following a swift counter at the other end, while Lucas Digne's free-kick struck the bar with the last action of the first half.
Both sides had chances after the break. Emiliano Martinez clawed off the line from Francisco Conceicao, while Manuel Locatelli blocked John McGinn's goalbound strike.
The hosts thought they had snatched all three points in stoppage time when Di Gregorio spilt Youri Tielemans' free-kick, allowing Rogers to fire home.
However, a VAR review ruled Diego Carlos' collision with Di Gregorio in the build-up worthy of a foul, and boos echoed around Villa Park as the effort was ruled out.
Data Debrief: Villa match Milan and Chelsea after another clean sheet
Villa's winless streak across all competitions continues, as they go seven games without victory for the first time under Emery.
However, they became only the third team to keep a clean sheet in each of their first three home games in the Champions League after AC Milan (1992-93) and Chelsea (1999-00)
Meanwhile Juve, who fielded their youngest starting XI in a Champions League game (24 years and 142 days), they registered their first shutout in the competition since December 2021 (1-0 against Malmo).
Chelsea must not underestimate Heidenheim test, says Maresca
Enzo Maresca insists his Chelsea players must be mentally prepared for the challenge that Heidenheim will pose in tomorrow's Europa Conference League clash.
Chelsea are one of six sides, along with Heidenheim, with a perfect record in the competition so far, though the Blues lead the way in the 36-team league table having scored 16 goals in three games.
The Blues' superior goal difference was helped by their 8-0 thrashing of Noah in their last game, scoring six goals in the first-half, which was the largest lead by an English side at the break of a major European game since Derby County were winning 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.
Though Chelsea have already swept aside the sides put in front of them in the competition so far, Maresca does not want complacency to undermine his side's performance against the Bundesliga club.
"I enjoy every game in this competition knowing that every club tries to make it their big game," Maresca said.
"The issue for us can be that if we are not ready mentally, and we underestimate a team, they can hurt us. So we need to be ready.
"It’s an important competition, a European competition. Since we started, we have tried to share minutes with all the players in the squad.
"In some of the [Conference League] games, we have also used some young players. So we’ll see. In this moment, it’s like this, and hopefully, we can continue in this way."
With the hectic December fixture list to begin on Sunday with Aston Villa's visit to Stamford Bridge, a number of players have not travelled with the squad.
Yet Maresca provided a positive update on Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto, both of whom were absent for their 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday.
"Both have trained with us," he said. "We don’t take any risks for tomorrow’s game, but I think both should be available for Sunday’s game [against Aston Villa]."
Red Star Belgrade 5-1 Stuttgart: Five-star hosts earn first Champions League win
Red Star Belgrade claimed the first win of their Champions League campaign, coming from behind to thrash Stuttgart 5-1 at the Stadion Rajko Mitic on Wednesday.
This was only the Serbian SuperLiga leaders' third ever win in the competition, and they had to come from behind to move up to 31st in the standings after five games.
Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute, capitalising on some slack defending to net his seventh goal of the season in all competitions.
However, Stuttgart loanee Silas Katompa Mvumpa restored parity six minutes later, driving from midfield before sending a curled effort beyond Alexander Nubel.
The hosts were ahead just past the half-hour mark through Rade Krunic, who netted his first club goal for over two years, his last coming for AC Milan in the 2022-23 campaign.
Red Star continued to threaten after the interval and were rewarded in the 65th minute when Mirko Ivanic ghosted in at the far post to head in his side's third.
Krunic turned provider four minutes later, teeing up Nemanja Radonjic before the Serbian striker notched his second a minute from time with a low left-footed finish.
Data Debrief: Fifth time lucky
After going four games without a win in the competition, Red Star did not look like a side lacking confidence as they confidently dispatched their Bundesliga opponents.
Their victory was their biggest across both the Champions League and European Cup when conceding first, while they also inflicted Stuttgart’s joint-heaviest defeat in the competition.
Red Star also scored five goals in a game in the Champions League or European Cup for the first time since a 5-0 win at Dundalk in September 1988, while it was their biggest triumph in the competition since beating Portadown 4-0 in October 1991.
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