ALLEGRI: "DERBY IS ITS OWN MATCH"

It's almost derby day. The first of the season - after the break - and also Allegri's first since his return to the Rossoneri touchlines. On the eve of Inter v AC Milan, matchday twelve of Serie A, scheduled for Sunday 23 November at 20:45 CET, the coach discussed the highly anticipated match at the press conference in Milanello.

THE DERBY
"The match tomorrow marks the beginning of the period that takes us to March, and then there's the final two months of the season, which will determine the standings. There's the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa in between. There will be 20 definite matches, possibly 22 if we play well. The Derby will certainly be an amazing occasion for Milan. In 2010, I started well by winning three in a row, then drawing one. However, following that, I've lost four. We're facing a very strong side, who are favourites for the title alongside Napoli. But, the derby is always a match in itself. We must aim to put on a technically good performance and remain aware".

INTER
"Inter have been fighting for the Scudetto for five years, they're strong and in good condition, but so are we and the matches always begin 0-0. They are an experienced side with technical and physical players. The stats show that they've scored 28 goals and conceded just seven, they're ranked first when it comes to shots on goal and last for shots faced, these are the details that make the difference in big matches".

TRUST IN THE TEAM
"I have full trust in this team. We work to play in these big matches, they're the matches that give you adrenaline and the excitement of playing football. We made a few technical mistakes early on against Roma, while, against Napoli we battled hard with ten men. We have to be in the game for the entire 95 minutes". 

THE STANDINGS
"In a week when there are 6 points up for grabs, everything can change. This year, we're struggling against the smaller sides, even though we conceded very little against Cremonese. Against Pisa, we didn't manage to close it out and then against Parma, we lacked attention at a decisive moment in the match. We're thinking about tomorrow, the points that we've taken show who we are".

THE CENTRE FORWARD
"During my career, I've often played without centre forwards. I had Ibrahimović and Robinho who didn't do that much of it, and it was Boateng, who stayed highest despite not being a centre forward. I expect lots from Pulisic and Leão but it's also true that they've both scored four goals so far and the league's highest scorer has five goals. They are good at winning individual duels and your chances of winning the match increase when you win these individual battles. Rafa, in particular, is understanding that a striker is rated on the goals they score. Giménez is still an important player, he's always scored and will get back to scoring ways".

INJURIES AND RETURNS
"Athekame and Giménez are out, but everyone else is available. Rabiot will play. Adrien has always conducted himself with great maturity, he's a valuable player in the middle of the pitch. I still need to decide if Estupiñan or Bartesaghi will play: Pervis featured against Parma, while Davide played two full games with the U21's, I'll need both".

THIAGO SILVA
"I've not called him. Thiago is a great player and is still playing at a good level. The club will think about the market, we have to think about one match at a time". 

BARESI
"The news about Franco Baresi returning to work is bigger than football, I expect to see him at Milanello because he must be seen as a point of reference for the entire Milan world".

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