Ex Inter Milan & Roma Defender Predicts Serie A Clash Will Be A ‘Battle’ & Praises Italy & Ex Arsenal Stars | OneFootball

Former defender Christian Chivu expects that Roma and Inter Milan will have a “battle” on Sunday.

Chivu spoke to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews. He also had words of praise for Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Chivu is a player who knows both Roma and Inter well.

The Romanian spent four seasons with the Giallorossi, joining from Ajax in 2003. Then, in 2007 he made the move to Inter where he spent six seasons before retiring.

Chivu won the Coppa Italia with Roma in his final season with the club.

Then, at Inter, the Romanian won a string of Serie A titles. The high point of his Nerazzurri career was the 2009-10 season, which culminated in the Treble of the title, Coppa Italia, and Champions League.

Inter narrowly beat out Chivu’s former side Roma to the title. And then, Chivu started in the final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich.

After hanging up his boots, Chivu became a coach.

He coached Inter’s youth ranks all the way up to the Primavera or Under-19 team, before departing over the summer.

Chivu: “Roma Vs Inter Will Be A Battle, I Adore Alessandro Bastoni”

Former Inter and Roma defender Chivu predicted that “On Sunday I see it being a great physical battle on the pitch.”

“In individual terms, I adore Bastoni,” he continued.

“I’ve seen his evolution up close,” he said of the 25-year-old. “The more time that passes, the more complete he becomes.”

As for whether Bastoni can evolve into a “pure central defender” at Inter as he plays for Italy, Chivu said that “I see him more as a wide defender.”

“Because in that position he can make better use of his passing in attack,” the Romanian explained.

“Inzaghi gains a lot from him. Because he can create superiority on the left side of the pitch.”

Chivu named Inter’s greatest strength as “Their rotations on the pitch. Their interchangeability.”

“They’re a modern team, constantly growing,” he said of the Nerazzurri.

Meanwhile, Chivu also named the player he thinks would make the most impact in Sunday’s match if he were to be playing for the other side.

“Without a doubt, Mkhitaryan,” he said.

“I saw how he trains in Appiano,” Chivu said of the former Manchester United and Arsenal man.

Mkhitaryan joined Inter on a free transfer from Roma in 2022.

Chivu hailed “The way he interacts with his teammates.”

“It’s not common in football to find players who think in terms of the group and not individually. He really is like that. It’s pure intelligence.”