Giacomo Bonaventura looks ahead to this Sunday's Milan derby and hopes to score, but admits it's 'strange' to see both teams so weak.
Milan and Inter are respectively ninth and 10th in Serie A, and the 25-year-old midfielder is not used to the Derby della Madonnina being a mid-table clash.
“It feels strange,” he admitted to reporters, whilst attending a publicity event in Milan. “A few years ago, the game was played with Inter and Milan in higher positions in the League.
Giacomo Bonaventura looks ahead to this Sunday's Milan derby and hopes to score, but admits it's 'strange' to see both teams so weak.
Milan and Inter are respectively ninth and 10th in Serie A, and the 25-year-old midfielder is not used to the Derby della Madonnina being a mid-table clash.
“It feels strange,” he admitted to reporters, whilst attending a publicity event in Milan. “A few years ago, the game was played with Inter and Milan in higher positions in the League.
“But this is our context for this year. It's still an important game for us, one that we must prepare for appropriately.
“Obviously it would be wonderful if I could score against Inter. It's a game that has a lot of charisma, followed by people all over the world and millions of supporters. But what's most important is that we put in a great performance.”
Bonaventura was linked to both teams from Milan at the end of his spell with Atalanta, and he was asked whether he had any regrets about joining the Rossoneri.
“None, I'm in a great club. This year we had a lot of difficulties as far as the team is concerned, maybe a bit too many, going by my expectations. But it's been an important year for me in many ways.
“We know that by winning the derby we'll give a bit more enthusiasm to the supporters and to ourselves.
“We certainly underwent a rough season in terms of the results and the mood around us. Earning three points on Sunday could boost us into a strong final rush.
“It would be good to see [President Silvio] Berlusconi again too. He could give us more drive. But it's down to us, in the locker room, to find our own incentives.
“The President always pushes us forward, but we need to know how to handle ourselves on our own.”
Finally, the offensive midfielder was asked about the differences between Inter and Milan in terms of their investment in Italian and international players.
“I don't know the dynamics in the Inter locker room, but [joint-CEO Adriano] Galliani told us that he intends to build a team with more Italian players who could be called up for the Azzurri. I think that's for the best.”