Akanji noted that Inter Milan “can’t afford to do that, especially against the big teams.”
By Kehinde Okeowo
Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji says his team cannot afford to have a slow start against their arch-rivals AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on Saturday at San Siro Stadium.
He made this known during an interview with Sky Sport Italia ahead of the highly anticipated encounter.
The two Serie A outfits head into the contest in contrasting form. While Milan suffered a 4-2 home defeat to Bologna earlier this week—their first of the season—Inter sit at the top of the standings alongside Lazio, with their unbeaten start to the league campaign still intact.
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However, the Nerazzurri will be aiming to end their barren streak against their city rivals, having failed to beat Milan in any of their last seven meetings, losing five and drawing two.
Despite their position in the table, Inter have made a slow start to the majority of their games this season, conceding first.
Christian Chivu’s side have picked up 13 points from losing positions so far in the current campaign.
Warning his teammates against repeating similar mistakes in the derby, Akanji stressed that they cannot continue the trend against a side of Milan’s caliber.
He said: “It’s not easy to give an explanation. It’s not that we start badly, but sometimes we make mistakes and concede goals.
”We can’t afford to do that, especially against the big teams.”
