Inter director Beppe Marotta insists the club has the ‘utmost respect’ for Milan Skriniar even as his contract runs down, but he could no longer be captain, while recognising Serie A cannot compete with sides like PSG and Chelsea on wages.
It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
The Nerazzurri are the favourites going into this derby, both for their position in the league and the 3-0 victory over their rivals in the Supercoppa Italiana last month in Riyadh.
“There are many games to go and many points up for grabs, so it is not going to be a decisive result,” Marotta told DAZN.
“It is going to be important for the city, to give something to their fans, so in that sense there is huge motivation. Napoli certainly deserve to be top of the table, they are having an extraordinary season, and our aim is to secure a place in the Champions League.”
Inter ultras in the Curva Nord released a statement this evening noting that Milan Skriniar had explained his reasons for deciding to leave as a free agent for PSG in the summer.
The fans seem to blame Inter and Beppe Marotta for initially putting the defender on the market and then changing their minds.
Meanwhile, Skriniar starts this evening, but is no longer the captain of the squad.
“With a little sadness, as it could’ve been dealt with better, Skriniar is a professional and has the right to make his choices. However, there are certain values in the captain’s armband that have to be shared and if those are not shared, then he cannot wear it.
“As for the rest, Milan must play for the club, out of respect for the fans, and we go forward. I think sadly these are situations we will see again in future, as Italian football has become a league of transition and we have to recognise our best players will probably move elsewhere.
“As I said, it is the right of the player and his agents to make those decisions. The captain’s armband was not so much a disciplinary issue as a sign of sharing that sense of belonging. We have the utmost respect for the player, he is a great professional and we cannot complain about his attitude.”
Chelsea alone managed to out-spend Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga and the Bundesliga in the January transfer window, so what can be done to react to these investments?
“We need to generate champions in house, invest more in our youth academies and put rules in place to get the best out of our product. If you look at the Premier League, then they spent over €700m compared to a few dozen spent in Serie A. They have extraordinary spending power and that alters competitiveness.
“We must therefore take steps to get the best out of our resources.”