Conte ahead of Juventus vs. Inter: "This team have done extraordinary things"

APPIANO GENTILE – Preparations are ongoing at the Suning Training Centre: Inter, the Champions of Italy, are preparing to face Juventus at the Allianz Stadium at 18:00 CEST on Saturday. The Nerazzurri have kept the foot down on the accelerator since being mathematically confirmed as the Scudetto winners, recording two wins and scoring eight goals in their last two matches.

Ahead of the team’s trip to Turin, Antonio Conte had the following to say to Inter TV:

Many of the players have mentioned that the reverse fixture against Juventus was one of the turning points of the season. Do you agree?

"Over the course of the season, you have to play the strongest sides, and these matches tell you what level you’re at. Winning against the team that had won the Scudetto for nine consecutive years and to whom Inter needed to bridge a gap was highly significant in terms of confidence and becoming more aware of our abilities. From this point of view, it was a very important victory. However, the was the risk that it could have been a one-off: we could have thought that we were strong and perhaps relaxed as a result. Instead, we did very well: we capitalised on it in the right manner, correctly understood its importance and carried on following our path.”

Did you expect the balance of power to shift the way it has done in the second half of the season?"Honestly, no. I predicted it’d be very even in the league this season. And it actually has been, aside from Inter: we’ve gone down our own path and headed straight towards the finish line. There is a balance, but this can be found below Inter. We’ve achieved something unexpected, also in terms of how it was done.”

It’ll be an important match against Juve, but Inter play with the same determination every game…"Every match is worth three points, and this is the only thing that the players and everyone involved should focus on. When you come up against teams like Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli, Atalanta and so on, the difficulty does increase. However, the league is won over 38 matches, all of which are worth the same.”

From being behind by 23 points to holding a 16-point advantage today: this is the gap that Inter have bridged. The Nerazzurri have also achieved several records and impressive numbers: are they testament to the team’s growth?

“In an even division, one team has done extraordinary things: credit to the players and everyone at Inter.”