Kolo Muani will pretend he doesn’t know Thuram during Juventus vs Inter | OneFootball

Juventus star Randal Kolo Muani insists there are ‘no friends in derbies’ so he’ll pretend he doesn’t know Marcus Thuram during a Serie A meeting with Inter. ‘We’ll talk later.’

Juventus and Inter meet at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Bianconeri January signing Kolo Muani has had an incredible start in Turin, scoring five goals in four appearances and is expected to start again against the Nerazzurri tonight.

“It was very easy for me to choose Juventus because the club would allow me to explore new horizons,” the France international told Lega Serie A, talking about his January transfer.

“I feel the club is well suited to me. It’s a big family, and I think it will be good for me to be here.

“I’ve been made to feel very welcome, and I’m thrilled to be here.

“I spoke a lot with the coach about the transfer, which I think really helped,” he continued.

“I was able to follow my heart by coming here. I thought I’d be happiest here.”

Kolo Muani has scored five goals in three Serie A appearances.

“When I scored my two goals against Empoli, I was really happy, and it was also a release for me,” he admitted.

“I hadn’t scored in a long time, so I was thrilled. The fans welcomed me to my new home so nicely as well. I could see the stadium announcer shouting and getting the fans going. I was looking around me, and it was incredible.”

Kolo Muani’s personal target is to score 17 goals this term.

“It’s just my personal challenge. I just try to set the bar high,” he said.

“Try to work harder and score more goals. It’s a sort of small competition that I set for myself. It’s not about pressure; it’s positive pressure that pushes me to achieve my targets.

“I’m a forward, so it’s always great to score goals. I hope to score plenty more. I am really pleased I’ve helped the team score so many goals.

“My teammates are also here to help me. It’s a team effort and I’ve just been performing my role. Everyone does their big and I think I’ve done that too. I hope to score many more.

“I try to put in all my effort. If I have to die on the pitch, I will die. It’s my passion, so that’s how it is and that’s how to play.”

Kolo Muani has now played in the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

“I’ve played in three leagues now. Serie A is a very tactical and tough league,” he argued.

“The defences are very tight, and I think I’ll enjoy myself here. All the French players here have been a success. It’s a small source of pressure on our shoulders. But it’s not a bad type of pressure.”

Kolo Muani will reunite with his compatriot Thuram on Sunday. The Inter forward is also the brother of Juventus midfielder Khephren.

“I’ll be facing a friend of mine, but there are no friends in the derbies,” Kolo Muani warned.

“He knows that too and we’ll chat after. During the match itself, it’s as if we don’t know each other. It’s a big match and a huge derby. We must be ready for Sunday. It’s an important match which we want to win. The points are there for the taking, which the fans would really enjoy.

“We’ll need to play our football the way we know, especially at home. The fans will play an important part too. They’ll push us till the end, as they always do. It’s down to us to give our all on Sunday to pick up all three points.”