Handanovic: Juventus clash a game like any other

Nov 2, 2012 10:45:00 AM

The Slovenia international believes this weekend's game will not be decisive in the title race as the Giuseppe Meazza side aim to close the gap on their rivals

Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has downplayed the importance of Saturday's Serie A encounter away against Juventus.

The Nerazzurri are currently trailing their arch-rivals by four points in the league table, but Handanovic has insisted that the outcome of the Derby d'Italia will not be decisive for the Scudetto race.

"It's an important match, but no more so than any other. We're going into it in a totally relaxed atmosphere," Handanovic told Sky Sport Italia.

"If we win in Turin it will mean that we have three points more than we do now. Is that all? Yes, that's all.

"What difference does Juventus Stadium make to the Bianconeri? For a keeper it's always good to be playing with the fans behind you, even if they are opposing fans, but I think that stadium gives Juve an extra five or six points a season.

"How will Inter be set out? I don't know about that, you should ask the boss. I've got enough to think about myself ..."

Saturday's encounter at the Juventus Stadium kicks off at 20:45CET.

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

7:13 PM BST

Carlo's now had his attention turned to the intiguing arrival of a certain Spaniard at the Allianz Arena this summer ...

@A_Mostefa17: Do you think Bayern will be even better with Guardiola next year or will it all go wrong for them?

CG: Everything suggests that Guardiola's Bayern will be a great team. The setups at Bayern and Barcelona are comparable, both on and off the pitch. Only Barcelona have monopolised more possession than Bayern over the past two seasons, while the Germans have enough top quality young players for Guardiola to build a great team around.

Everything is there for Guardiola to do well, the problem is that if Bayern win tonight and clinch the treble - as expected - how on earth do you better that? The simple answer is you can't. So Guardiola will almost be in a no-win situation from the outset, and that is never an easy starting point.

7:09 PM BST

And the rest of that response (trust me - it gets even better!) to the question on whether Germany deserves four Champions League places:

CG: Germany took a place off Italy purely because Uefa's coefficient system - which rewards the same number of points to Europa League competitors as it does for those in the Champions League - was so ludicrously flawed.

There is no doubt that the Bundesliga is on the up and Serie A has since struggled in Europe - and this season Germany has proven its worth in the Champions League - but the league should hever have been granted a fourth place until they earned it in the Champions League ... not in a Mickey Mouse Cup that no one outside Germany and the minor nations takes seriously.

7:07 PM BST

A cracking question here from Adam Scime, who has provoked an even better response out of Carlo, which I'll have to split in two!

@Scime_Live: Does Germany deserve four CL places?

CG: Germany were granted four Champions League places at the end of the 2010-11 season, which led to Italy losing one spot. This came into effect at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

When Italy lost their place, their Champions League record was so far superior to Germany whether you looked at the last two,three,five,10,20 or 30 years. Serie A boasted two of the previous four winners of the competition, whereas the Bundesliga hadn't won a European trophy of any sort since 2001 ...

7:04 PM BST

Carlo's finally been asked to put his neck on the line in our Twitter Q&A ...

@jagger_jagz: Who do you tip to win #UCL final?

CG: Bayern are clearly the favourites on paper. Individually and collectively they have the advantage, plus they have won two and drawn two out of their four meetings this season, so psychologically have the edge.

But, anything can happen in finals. The first goal will be crucial. If Bayern break the deadlock, it is hard to see them losing as they are so good at strangling the game and picking teams off. If Dortmund are to spring a surprise, I think they have to score first. If they manage that, then it will be interesting to see how Bayern react. They have developed a reputation as a team who bottle it on the big stage and fall at the final hurdle. Mentally, they seem a different proposition this year but falling behind could bring back all their bad memories and prove fatal.

7:01 PM BST

‏An interesting one here from a concerned Barceloan fan - or perhaps it's Cristiano Ronaldo in disguise.

@messixaviesta: Do you think the team that wins this final will provide the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner or it will once again go to Messi?

CG: As we are in an odd-number year, with no World Cup or European Championship, it is certain that the victor of the Ballon D'Or will be an individual who stars solely for their club team. As a result, a Champions League winner has as good a chance as anyone to pick up the prestigious prize.

The gong usually goes to a midfielder or attacker, so my money would be on Franck Ribery if Bayern win the Champions League as he is the kind of player voters usually go for. Having said that, as Bayern and Dortmund are such outstanding 'teams', their inividuals aren't always in the spotlight like a Messi or Ronaldo, so that could count against them.

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