Speaking ahead the Milan Derby, former Inter defender Marco Materazzi believes AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain makes very little difference in the big games.
Serie A is back after the international break with the Derby della Madonnina as the main event of the weekend, kicking off on Sunday evening at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
The 45-year-old Italian defender picked his derby men and praised both Inter’s Luciano Spalletti and Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso.
“Inter struggle to kill games off, but they are almost always able to turn situations around, which means they’ve got character,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Spalletti has an easier job than Rino Gattuso, because if he turns to the bench, he finds even more quality.
“Gattuso cannot perform miracles, but he knows about football and has been the soul of Milan for almost 20 years. He never got a derby wrong because that is the game where you have to put everything out there.
“Higuain might be the most complete striker in Serie A right now, but he tends to make very little difference in the big games. We will see how he does in his first derby.
“Patrick Cutrone surprised me as every goal he has ever scored was because he went looking for it. He is the hungriest striker in Serie A.
“Lautaro Martinez is unabashed and therefore the right man for that game. Then, if I was the coach, I would always play [Ivan] Perisic. If he can punt the ball forward and chase after it, he will kill you.”
Inter ‘host’ Milan at 20:30 local time in the Derby della Madonnina.
