By DPA
Milan : The Italian football season kicks off Sunday with Serie A champions Inter Milan looking to retain the Italian Super Cup against Roma.
The evening tie at Milan’s Giuseppe Meazza gives Roma a chance to avenge the 4-3 defeat they suffered last year in extra time after taking a three-goal lead.
The two sides have also clashed in the three successive Italian Cup finals, with Roma winning only last May.
“Neither Roma nor we will be at our best,” said Inter coach Roberto Mancini. “You cannot be at your top in (late) August. We hope to improve later.”
The pre-season games were generally encouraging for the champions, the latest a friendly tournament victory Tuesday over city-mates AC Milan and Juventus, which pleased Mancini “particularly for the good work and the reactions of those (seven) who (played the America Cup and) began training after the others.”
In the game that precedes by a week the Serie A start, the coach can rely up front on Honduras striker David Suazo, a new arrival from Cagliari, and on former Roma defender Cristian Chivu.
Roma replaced Chivu with Brazilian Juan from Bayer Leverkusen, but the central defender is sidelined until early September with a leg injury.
Coach Luciano Spalletti is therefore likely to move Christian Panucci to central defence alongside Philippe Mexes.
The Frenchman played down Roma’s dithering showings in the friendlies played so far, saying: “Sunday’s game is very important. We will give our maximum and we are very confident.”
The Super Cup, pitting the Serie A champions against the Italian Cup winners, was first played in 1998.