Rome - Aged 36 and with a 17-year career behind him,
Juventus Turin veteran Pavel Nedved can't wait to take to the pitch
Saturday for a Serie A showdown at Inter Milan.
Juve come to the Giuseppe Meazza stadium off five straight
league wins, which have pushed them within three points of the
leading champions after a dithering start to the season.
The Turin side also boosted their morale by securing the knockout
stage of the Champions League with two defeats of Spanish giants Real
Madrid.
'I'm glad to meet Inter now because we are in form,' the Czech
midfielder Nedved said.
'We don't need to show anything to anyone. I don't want to hear
about revenges. We play for the three points and to see who is the
strongest.'
The game has always been one of the hottest in the Serie A, but
tension has mounted since Inter in 2006 were awarded the title
stripped from Juve for their involvement in a match-rigging scandal.
Juve notched a draw and an away win against Inter, but Nedved said
he feels that his side 'are not the favourites to win the scudetto.
'But we will battle until the end and give a hard time to
everybody. It would be important to win Saturday, but the important
successes are those of May,' he said in reference to the end of the
domestic and European season.
Inter's veteran Luis Figo, also 36 and like Nedved a Golden Ball
winner, has a slighter chance to play having just recovered from
injury.
'I say that Inter are the strongest team and they must always win
at home, therefore also Saturday,' Figo said. 'And I agree with
(coach Jose) Mourinho. It's better to tackle (Juve) after seven
straight wins.
'I'm not saying they are relaxed, but had it been the other way
round, they would have been more angry.'
There will be close attention to the weekend's top-billing game
from AC Milan, who lie one point from the top and could profit from a
slipup by Inter when they close the round of games late Sunday at
troubled Torino.
The weekend's first game Saturday afternoon pits Fiorentina
against Udinese, with both sides looking to rebound from defeats last
weekend.
Napoli are well off despite a defeat at Atalanta and Sunday
welcome Cagliari, Lazio host Genoa while Roma, away to Lecce, feel
they are over a glum period after winning their city derby with
Lazio.
Sampdoria welcome Catania, promoted Bologna host Palermo, Chievo
entertain Siena and Reggina take on Atalanta.
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