Milan derby: Inter target top spot

Inter Milans rise has exceeded coach Leonardos expectations since he took charge at Christmas. When the Brazilian was appointed,Inter were 13 points behind city rivals AC Milan in the Serie A,and finished second to Tottenham in the Champions League group stage. On Saturday,Inter could top Serie A if they beat Milan. On Tuesday,they meet Schalke in the Champions League quarterfinals after beating Bayern Munich in the last 16.

At the time it seemed difficult; to get here and in the way we have, Leonardo said. To be second in the league and then have the quarterfinal of the Champions League a few days afterwards,a lot of things came together. A derby is always decided by small details. First we had to get to second in the table and now it has become a massively important game.

This time last season Leonardo was in the opposite dugout,where he endured 4-0 and 2-0 losses to Inter in his one season in charge of Milan. He spent six years at Milan as a player,before becoming one of the clubs technical directors.

I think it has been exaggerated about me coming back here as coach of the other team, Leonardo said. Theres a lot of players with connections to both teams and everyone knows about my relationship with the other club. I respect the club and the way they play football. I think they are two teams that want to attack and play good football. Both teams have a certain style and of course it is a derby and both teams will want to win it.