Inter Milan coach has a sly dig at Juventus | OneFootball

Juventus take on AC Milan this evening, while Inter Milan took on Napoli, giving us two important clashes between clubs expected to compete for the Serie A title this season.

The Bianconeri will be keen to win their fixture, but their supporters are also interested in the result between Inter Milan and Napoli, which ended in an Inter win. With four clubs expected to challenge for the title, both matches could have an impact on the race for the top spot.

Cristian Chivu won the league title with Inter last season, while Juventus finished outside the top four. AC Milan also failed to finish among the Champions League places, meaning neither of the clubs meeting tonight achieved the position expected of them.

Juve, Milan, Napoli and Inter Milan are certainly among the teams expected to compete for the league title this term. However, Como and Roma both finished above Juventus and Milan in the league table last season.

Chivu questions what counts as a head to head

That explains why Como and Roma will compete in the Champions League while Juventus and Milan will not. Chivu appears to have used that fact to question whether the meeting between the Bianconeri and Milan should truly be considered a head-to-head clash for the title.

The Inter manager has challenged the idea that traditional status should determine which matches are regarded as important title clashes. His comments suggest that last season’s standings should also be considered when assessing the importance of these fixtures.

Juventus and Milan have the history and reputation to be considered major rivals, but Chivu believes the definition of a head-to-head meeting should be based on more than tradition.

(Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Inter manager takes apparent dig at Juve

Chivu made his point clearly when discussing the weekend’s fixtures. He said via Tuttosport:

“What does head-to-heads mean? Those against the top four in the table or traditional matches? Because Milan and Juventus finished so far behind last year, so what kind of head-to-head is it? I’m asking to understand. Are Juve and Milan head-to-heads? Then let’s talk about tradition, otherwise Como is also a head-to-head.”

His comments are likely to add another layer of interest to an already important weekend. Juventus and Milan will now have the chance to respond on the pitch.