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| | Saturday 3 May, 2008 | | Blog: Kickin' cousins | | The ‘cugini’ of Inter and Milan have everything to play for on Sunday. A Scudetto, a Champions League place and, as Susy Campanale explains, the biggest motivator of all – spite |  |  | | The Derby della Madonnina had not been this crucial for many years, as the gap between the sides has stretched well into double figures in recent times. Between Milan’s focus on Europe and Inter’s domination of Serie A, it has taken on the air of the Rome or Turin derby, a challenge of local pride and parochial attitudes rather than a top of the table clash.
That could well be the case this Sunday too, as the potential for rubbing success in your rivals’ faces is immense. A victory would spark Inter’s Scudetto celebrations in their home stadium surrounded by dejected Milanisti. It would also bring with it the very likely elimination of the Rossoneri from the Champions League – the competition that for all these years has been used to belittle the Nerazzurri’s achievements – and the painful embarrassment of losing a fourth Milan derby on the trot. As ways to take a title go, it’d be priceless.
Of course Carlo Ancelotti’s men have their own motivation that goes beyond challenging for a top four finish. They have the opportunity to get one single moment over their cousins in this otherwise disappointing campaign, the chance to point out they are the big game specialists who are the reigning Club World Cup holders and have Player of the Year Ricky Kaka in their line-up. Above all, they can delay the Scudetto party and pour water over the fireworks by the side of the pitch that Inter insist are not all ready set to go off at the final whistle. They can’t stop Roberto Mancini becoming Campioni d’Italia for the third time in a row, but they can rain on their parade.
In a year where the two sides have battled on the transfer market over Ronaldinho, David Suazo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, where Milan had at first the pride and then the embarrassment of inheriting the train wreck that is Ronaldo’s career and where 12 months ago they argued viciously over the Rossoneri rudely upstaging the Scudetto celebrations with their ill-timed Champions League triumph, spite has never been such a motivating factor in this derby.
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