Simone Inzaghi: Inter Manager Explains Why Beating Milan is Not an 'Obsession'

Simone Inzaghi said his Inter Milan team are not obsessing over their chance to win the Serie A title by beating their local rivals AC Milan.

Inter are 14 points ahead of second-placed Milan and will claim their 20th Scudetto with five matches remaining in the season if they win Monday's hotly-anticipated city derby at the San Siro.

Inter head into Monday's clash having won the last five Milan derbies, two of those wins taking Inzaghi's team to last season's Champions League final.

"We've had a magnificent season, it's been a great run. Tomorrow could be a special day for all of us. But we're not obsessing over it," coach Inzaghi told reporters.

"If tomorrow is the day then great, we're working hard so that it is, but it's not an obsession for me nor for my players."

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"The last five derbies have given us great joy, they've taken us to a Champions League final but we know tomorrow that those derbies won't mean anything," added Inzaghi.

"What matters is what we put out there on the pitch."

Earlier on Sunday Inter president Steven Zhang hinted about Inzaghi getting a reported contract extension until 2027, calling his tenure as Inter coach "a gift" when talking to Sky Sport at the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix.

"He gives me confidence and keeps the environment calm and stable. We're going to continue together," said Zhang.

Inzaghi's current deal, signed last summer, expires in June 2025 so there was no danger of him moving on after such a special season with Inter.

Inzaghi's Milan counterpart Stefano Pioli, however, will almost certainly be out the door come the close season after a topsy-turvy season which has ended in disappointment.

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The lack of a title challenge, the manner of their exit from the Europa League to Roma, a team Milan fans have long considered beneath them, and the prospect of being humiliated by Inter on Monday has turned the tide against Pioli.

On Friday Milan's leading ultras wrote a letter asking for Pioli to be replaced, with Italian media reporting Julen Lopetegui as the front-runner to take over.