Gullit on ‘decisive’ Milan derby, Madrid favourite over PSG and Vlahovic’s deja vu

Milan legend Ruud Gullit believes the Derby della Madonnina could be decisive ‘especially if Inter win’ and says he got a feeling of déjà vu when he saw Dusan Vlahovic join Juventus.

The 59-year-old released an interview with Il Corriere dello Spot newspaper ahead of tomorrow’s derby di Milano.

The Rossoneri sit third in the Serie A table, four points behind the Nerazzurri, but Simone Inzaghi’s side has a game in hand and Gullit believes tomorrow’s could be decisive.

“It may be, especially if Inter win,” he admitted.

“Right now, the Nerazzurri are slightly favourite, not only psychologically but also because they are the defending champions.

“Milan are doing well. They would maybe deserve more points. I watched the game against Juventus and they deserved something more, but Juventus got to Milan with the only aim of not losing the match.

“Pioli would need more quality. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a booster when fit, but he is often injured. On the other hand, Inter replaced Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, Antonio Conte and Christian Eriksen easily and they are getting even better results than last season.”

How about Juventus? They signed Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window and are targeting a top-four finish. How does Gullit rate them?

“Vlahovic joining Juventus was a sort of deja vu,” he admitted.

“It was like Baggio joining Juventus. The worst thing that a Fiorentina player can do is join Juventus. Fans are not happy. I heard Vlahovic could have moved to England, but the clubs interested did not manage to convince him.”

The Old Lady and Inter are the only two Serie A clubs still involved in the Champions League. Inter will meet Liverpool in the Round of 16, while Juventus were paired against Villareal. Who is the favourite to win the trophy?

“It’s hard to say know,” Gullit admitted.

“There are huge games in the Round of 16, such as Real Madrid-PSG. I think Madrid are favourite because of their team spirit. However, PSG have Mbappé who is the best footballer in the world at the moment, Neymar and Messi even if Leo is not at the same level as he was at Barcelona.”