Fiorentina test Inter´s powers of recovery

Champions and Serie A leaders Inter Milan face a stern test of their powers of recovery when they travel to face Fiorentina on Saturday, just four days after booking a Champions League semi-final spot.

Jose Mourinho’s team lead AS Roma by a single point at the top of the table, but their tough trip to Florence comes in the wake of an emotionally-draining trip to Moscow, where they beat CSKA 1-0.

Mourinho has repeated on several occasions his concerns about fatigue as his side is the only one in Italy still engaged in European competition.

“We’re very tired,” he said following the victory in Moscow before issuing a rallying call.

“The team has grown and matured. That’s very important for a team which is now in the semi-finals of the Champions League, top of the league and in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. It’s another Inter but now we want more.”

Inter still have the possibility to win three competitions but the games are coming thick and fast and they have little rest with two matches a week.

But Serbia midfielder Dejan Stankovic insisted they were ready to refocus after their European exploits.

“Now the Champions League is momentarily archived and we’re expecting another war, this one in the league,” he said.

While Inter battle for a fifth straight scudetto crown, Fiorentina have ambitions of their own as they look to try to earn a spot in next season’s Champions League.

They sit eighth and six points behind Palermo in the crucial fourth spot.

This will actually be the first of two games between the teams in the space of a few days as they meet in the Italian Cup semi-final, second leg (Inter lead 1-0 from the first leg) next week.

Teenage Montenegro playmaker Stevan Jovetic believes his team can match Inter for motivation.

“We’ll give it our all against Inter. These are (two) important games and maybe even more so for them because they want the title,” he said.

Roma appear to have a far easier task at home to Atalanta as they look to continue their 22-match unbeaten league run.

It has been a remarkable run that has seen them reduce their deficit to Inter by 13 points since November, something club captain Francesco Totti still finds hard to believe.

“If only we stop and think about how we began this season (three wins and five defeats in their first 10 games) right now it seems strange,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.

“But we want to live this dream right to the end, we need to believe and give everything so as not to have any regrets because we’ve got a great opportunity.”

The third team still in with a title chance are AC Milan who also look forward to a seemingly simple home game against Catania.

Milan are three points behind Inter and have wobbled recently, leaving Brazilian star Ronaldinho in no doubt as to what they need.

“Now we have the last six games of the season which are very important. Every game from now until the end of the season will be like a final for us,” he said.

Fixtures:

Saturday

Fiorentina v Inter Milan, Napoli v Parma

Sunday

AC Milan v Catania, Bologna v Lazio, Juventus v Cagliari, Livorno v Udinese, Palermo v Chievo, AS Roma v Atalanta, Sampdoria v Genoa, Siena v Bari