Fabio Capello has described Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a ‘player-manager’ on the field and insists they both would’ve stayed at Juventus if not for Calciopoli.
The Rossoneri host the Old Lady tonight at 19.45 GMT.
You can follow the build-up and action from all today’s six Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
The pair worked together in Turin from 2004 to 2006, Ibra’s first experience in Serie A after leaving Ajax.
Capello famously sat the Swede down with a stack of Marco van Basten videos to teach him about movement, finishing and how to become a better striker.
“Juve stimulated his sense of competitiveness,” Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport magazine Sportweek.
“Without Calciopoli, both he and I would’ve remained there. Nowadays, he is a player-manager. Ibra might not be the same athlete as he was before, but he brings valuable experience.”
Both Capello and Ibrahimovic left Turin when the Calciopoli scandal broke in 2006, sending Juventus down to Serie B for the first and so far only time in their history.
Ibra moved across to their arch-rivals Inter, who were assigned the 2005-06 Scudetto that was stripped from Juve.
This fixture will be a battle for the top four, as the Bianconeri are getting back into the race after a dismal start to the season.
“It’s a difficult match to decipher. Both of them need to win. Milan have to be careful, because Juve are becoming solid again and rediscovering their spirit. Juventus are a tough opponent to deal with.
“I don’t believe those coaches who says we don’t consider the opponent when planning our game, we have to focus only on ourselves. That’s a serious error of arrogance.
“All teams have strengths and weaknesses, you must know them so you are ready to strike.”