Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo confessed he grew up as a Milan supporter, but is determined to beat them on Monday night.
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“I grew up close to the Milanello training ground and my grandfather would take me there on a sort of pilgrimage by bicycle,” Parolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The Paolo Maldini and Zvonimir Boban posters are still up in my childhood bedroom.”
Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo confessed he grew up as a Milan supporter, but is determined to beat them on Monday night.
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“I grew up close to the Milanello training ground and my grandfather would take me there on a sort of pilgrimage by bicycle,” Parolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The Paolo Maldini and Zvonimir Boban posters are still up in my childhood bedroom.”
Yet the Rossoneri are his favourite ‘victims,’ putting five Serie A goals past them for Parma and Lazio. As he’s fresh from scoring four in a single game against Pescara, is he a good bet to find the target this time?
“No, I’d just scored one goal this season and had to catch up… It is a strange situation and at the end of my career it’ll be a great thing to tell my son, who is now only two years old.
“I had to pay for it, as I promised to take the whole team out to dinner, so I’ll be careful not to do that again! We’ve created a really good chemistry within the locker room and Simone Inzaghi was fundamental in that. He’s so good at understanding our state of mind, perhaps because he was a player himself until recently.
“Now we face Milan in a head-to-head for Europe. It’s true the club has changed a lot, but Milan remain one of the biggest clubs in Italy and in Europe. They’re going through a transitional phase, but I am sure they’ll be great again.”
Does lifelong Rossoneri supporter Parolo not regret being on the other side of this fixture?
“Absolutely not. I am very happy at Lazio, have been here for three years and hope to remain for a long time. I love the people and the city, even if Rome is a little chaotic. I’ve already scored five past Milan and hope to add another.
“Lazio want to get back into Europe, though we’ll see which competition a little later on. We won’t set limits on ourselves, as I feel we can do a lot better.
“We do need to improve on how we control games, because at Pescara we went from 2-0 to 2-2 before taking full control. The same blackout occurred against Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Inter.”
Lazio don’t just have to prepare for Milan, but also the Coppa Italia semi-final with arch rivals Roma.
“There are three Serie A games before then, but there’s no denying we are already thinking about the derby. It’s an opportunity to prove how much we’ve grown since the Serie A meeting.”
Parolo had a word of warning for Lazio teammate Keita Balde Diao.
“He is an extraordinary talent, but must improve in his behaviour. He is doing better and Inzaghi’s arrival was a manna from Heaven for him, because the Coach knows how to deal with him, but Keita must realise that if he improves this aspect then he’ll become incredible.
“Don’t forget the best player I ever worked with was Antonio Cassano. If he’d had a different personality…”