Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Final - AC Milan Training - Al Shabab FC Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2025 AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao during training REUTERS/Claudia Greco
(Reuters) - AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao and his Inter Milan counterpart Simone Inzaghi's friendship will not be affected by their club rivalry, the Portuguese coach said ahead of Monday's Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh.
The final will be Conceicao's second match in charge, following Friday's 2-1 semi-final win over Juventus.
Striker Inzaghi and winger Conceicao were teammates at Lazio in the early 2000s. The last time the two met in the dugout was during the Champions League last 16 in the 2022-23 season, when Conceicao's Porto lost 1-0 to Inter on aggregate.
The two coaches had arguments pitchside during their last meeting, but Conceicao clarified that they were specific to the match and not directed at Inzaghi.
"I will definitely shake his hand. Back when I was at Porto, there were incidents that are part of (that) game. Of course, I respect him," the Portuguese coach told reporters on Sunday.
"We are men of football, we played together and love each other. He will be my friend before and after the match. During the game, though, we will be opponents."
Inzaghi, however, said the two have not spoken since. "We have not seen or spoken to each other since, but nothing extraordinary happened," the Italian told reporters.
"We were together for many years, and shared a dressing room. We had a great teacher in our former (Lazio) coach (Sven-Goran) Eriksson, who led many of us players into the coaching profession."
Milan may still be without winger Rafael Leao, who has missed their last two games with a muscle injury. Forward Marcus Thuram is doubtful for holders Inter, having sustained a thigh injury during Thursday's 2-0 semi-final win over Atalanta in Riyadh.
"We will have to assess the situation. He is definitely not at 100% to play 90 minutes. I’ll make a decision after training," Conceicao said of the Portuguese international Leao.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
