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Sarri wants Juve to give Ronaldo 'a gift' in Serie A showdown with Inter

Maurizio Sarri has urged Juventus to grant Cristiano Ronaldo a suitable gift when they face Serie A title rivals Inter on Sunday.

By Joe Wright
Ronaldo

Turin, March 8: Maurizio Sarri has urged Juventus to grant Cristiano Ronaldo a suitable gift when they face Serie A title rivals Inter on Sunday (March 8).

The champions will host Antonio Conte's side behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium, with all Italian matches being played without fans due to fears over the spread of coronavirus.

Ronaldo made his 1,000th competitive appearance for club and country in last month's 2-1 win at SPAL, where he scored the opening goal of the game.

Inter's visit will mark Ronaldo's first home match since reaching that remarkable milestone, and Sarri is eager for the 35-year-old to mark the occasion in style.

"He is an active player, and so not much thinking is needed," Sarri told the club's website, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner now back in training after returning home to Portugal visit his mother, who is recovering from a stroke.

"This is a great achievement, but he must immediately chase after new goals. But we know Cristiano and we know that he will be like that. It is a cue for his team-mates to give him a gift."

Juve go into the game two points behind league leaders Lazio, who have played a game more, while Inter are a further six points back with two games in hand on the Bianconeri.

Sarri expects the meeting to be of a standard befitting the top-flight's "most prestigious" match.

"It will be a beautiful match," he said. "It is clear that Juventus-Inter is the most prestigious match in Serie A: for the history, and this year, for the standings.

"After two important transfer windows, I think Inter has become one of the favourites for the league title, like us. Therefore, it is important for the rankings. I hope it will be a beautiful game, and I hope we enjoy it. It will surely be a difficult game but also beautiful to play.

"Given their way of playing, a problem, for us, may be the size of the opponents. However, both teams have the characteristics that can put the opponent in danger. And so, it will be a difficult game for us, and one where preparation is needed. But, of course, it will also be difficult for our opponents."

Story first published: Sunday, March 8, 2020, 10:24 [IST]
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