Inter return to tough Scudetto defence

AFP | Milan

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Inter Milan head into the final straight of their title battle with Napoli locked on points at the top of Serie A and reeling from a crushing derby defeat which ended the champions’ hopes of the treble.

Last weekend’s last-gasp defeat at Bologna left Inter ahead of Napoli on goal difference and Simone Inzaghi’s team will have to dust themselves down from a 3-0 loss to AC Milan on Wednesday which cost them a place in the Italian Cup final.

Inter host Roma on Sunday afternoon in a match which was pushed back a day so that it and two others didn’t clash with Pope Francis’ funeral, which will be held at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Saturday.

The Pope’s death on Monday, and the five days of nationwide mourning then declared by the Italian government, caused a fixture reshuffle which has done Inter little good ahead of their trip to Barcelona for next week’s first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Inter already looked tired when falling to Riccardo Orsolini’s stoppage-time bicycle kick at Bologna, and they now have one day fewer to prepare for Barca after a painful defeat to Milan.

“It’s pointless denying it (that his players are tired) but we have to keep going. There’s obviously some mental and physical tiredness but we have to be stronger than the fixture list,” said Inzaghi on Wednesday.

At least seven more games await Inter between now and the end of the season, after which the three-time European champions jet off to the United States for the revamped Club World Cup and a minimum of three group matches.

The Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that Inter were given the possibility to play on Saturday night but that the club decided that would cause enough controversy to effectively cancel out the benefit of an extra night’s rest before Barca.

Roma should be tricky opponents for Inter as Claudio Ranieri’s team are unbeaten in 17 Serie A matches and still in the hunt for Champions League football.