By Peter Hall
(Reuters) – AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho returns to the scene of his greatest achievement in management on Saturday as he looks to derail Inter Milan’s Serie A title charge.
Mourinho has won many trophies with Europe’s biggest clubs but he will forever be remembered by Inter Milan fans for steering their side to an unprecedented treble of the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League crowns in 2010.
Roma played Inter in the Coppa Italia this season, with Mourinho mobbed by fans who have not forgotten what he did – something their bitter rivals AC Milan have never achieved.
Mourinho is starting to have an effect at Roma too, with the capital side unbeaten in 12 league games – the longest current such run in the division – ahead of their trip to the San Siro on Saturday.
Roma have a chance of sneaking into the top four, with Mourinho’s fifth-placed side fifth in the standings, five points behind Juventus in fourth.
Fittingly, Mourinho is still not happy.
“There are teams that play for the Scudetto, which we don’t but we still want to have the chance to try and win matches,” he said after last week’s draw at title-chasing Napoli, alleging big clubs get the benefit of the doubt from referees.
“On Saturday we want to have the chance to win at Inter, it seems that today we didn’t have the chance. Some of their (the officials’) decisions would have made me feel ashamed.”
Three league wins in a row have re-ignited Inter’s hopes of retaining the Scudetto, as they sit two points behind leaders Milan with a game in hand, meaning the title is back in their hands.
Milan face a tough challenge on Sunday as they travel to the capital to face a Lazio side who have lost only one of their last six league games.
Looking to put their midweek Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Inter behind them, Milan are unbeaten in 11 Serie A matches, and scored more than once in a league game for the first time since mid-February in last Friday’s 2-0 win over Genoa.
Juventus will meet Inter in the Coppa Italia final after they saw off Fiorentina on Wednesday and will aim to get back to winning ways in the league when they travel to Sassuolo on Monday.
Napoli, in third, go in search of a first win in three to keep pace with the Milan clubs when they travel to Empoli on Sunday.
(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Ed Osmond)
