MATTEO DARMIAN wants to bring a flavour of the Manchester derby to Saturday's Champions League final.
The Inter Milan defender, 33, is one of three former Manchester United players preparing to face Manchester City in Istanbul this weekend.
Darmian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and striker Romelu Lukaku will all be facing their former rivals this weekend.
And the Italy international admitted that his history with the Red Devils will add a little extra spice to the contest.
Darmian said: "It is probably extra motivation and that is it, we need to be ready and try to do our game to beat them. It will not be easy but we will try.
"Playing the derby is always a special feeling, always a special game.
Read More Football Stories
Sheikh Jassim gives Man Utd owners the Glazers 48 hours to accept takeover bid
Football free bets: Get £40 bonus when you stake £10 with William Hill
"They are different from other games, the atmosphere is different so it will be good to play against Manchester City.
"For me it is like a derby."
Darmian made a total of 92 Manchester United appearances, scoring once, and played in four Manchester derbies during his time in the Premier League.
United won just one of those four, a 1-0 victory at The Etihad in 2016 when Marcus Rashford bagged the winner against Manuel Pellegrini's City.
Most read in Football
Bowen the 90th-minute hero to nick first European trophy for 58 years
Hammers WIN first European trophy in 58 years after epic final
Messi confirms he is joining Beckham's Inter Miami in blockbuster transfer
West Ham fans ambushed by Fiorentina ultras with ahead of Europa final
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
Darmian left Old Trafford for Parma in 2019 in a deal worth just £1.4million, before joining Inter on loan in 2020 and making the move permanent a year later.
Having struggled during his time with Manchester United, Darmian has featured in 31 Serie A games this season and has started every single knockout game on the way to Saturday's final.
And while the defender concedes that Simone Inzaghi's side are facing the world's best in Istanbul, the former Torino man warned that Inter are more than capable of hurting City.
He added: "Manchester City are the best team in the world at the moment and they beat two very good teams. We have to think of ourselves and try to show our quality.
"We are strong and we have the quality to beat them."
Source: Read Full Article
