With the Champions League final concluded and Suker now the center of global attention, the pressure on Inter Milan had intensified tremendously.
In the past, that might not have meant much—but after watching his performance in the final and all the accolades he earned, Inter now realized they had to strengthen their plan to stop Suker.
At Inter Milan's training ground, the players were nervously preparing.
The upcoming 38th round of the league was crucial—it would determine whether they could win the Serie A title.
Inter currently led the table by 2 points.
This match would decide the champion.
A Milan derby for the league title—it didn't get more intense than this.
For AC Milan fans, this game was second only to the Champions League final.
Even if Milan couldn't win the title themselves, they certainly didn't want Inter to win it.
With other teams already out of the title race, AC Milan were determined to fight tooth and nail to deny Inter the championship.
Earlier in the season, Milan abandoned the Coppa Italia to focus on the league and Champions League.
There would be no treble, but a domestic and European double was still within reach.
On the sideline, Srna wiped sweat from his brow.
For a full week, Inter had been preparing specifically for AC Milan.
This time, their tactical plan was extremely clear: instead of broadly targeting Milan as a team, the strategy had shifted to how to neutralize Suker.
Coach Mancini's instructions were simple: No one-on-one situations against Suker allowed.
Whenever Suker had the ball, two or more players were to pressure him.
After analyzing Milan's match footage, Mancini had concluded that one player alone could not stop Suker.
A 1v1 would spell danger for Inter's backline and even their goal.
So, whenever Suker got the ball, double or triple-teams would be required.
There would be no wishful thinking this time—Mancini was determined to shut down Milan's most lethal weapon.
Srna agreed completely.
He believed that only with this maniacally tight defense could they hope to contain Suker.
And he was also looking forward to another showdown with him.
Modrić lost to Suker in the Champions League Vukojević, too.
If Srna could defeat Suker in the league, it would give him bragging rights back home.
With that thought, Srna took out his phone and sent a message.
Elsewhere in Milan, Suker received Srna's message.
"Screw you!"
Suker chuckled coldly and closed his phone.
Kaká was staring at the underwhelming lunch on the table.
"Seafood paella? Where's the special sauce? No steamed buns either?"
Kaká fired off complaints.
Suker pointed at the table.
"That's it. Eat or don't."
Kaká gave him a pitiful look but eventually sat down and started eating the spaghetti bolognese with a side of bone broth.
But he was bored of these meals.
"Not tasty!"
Watching Kaká's expression, Suker leaned on his hand and raised an eyebrow:
"Want seafood paella?"
Kaká nodded eagerly.
"Then show me something in the next match. Play well, and you'll get your reward. If not, don't even think about it."
Hearing that, Kaká became visibly more motivated, nodding repeatedly.
Suker rolled his eyes.
"This guy's been coasting long enough—it's time he stepped up."
Even after the Champions League win, Suker still wanted Kaká to break out of his slump.
Milan had just won the Champions League, but there was no relaxation among the players.
For a perfect season, the league title was also a must.
Losing or drawing against Inter would hand the title over to their biggest rival—something they couldn't stomach.
If the opponent were Roma, fine. But since it was Inter, Milan had no choice but to go all in.
Coach Ancelotti repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining their focus—he didn't want the players to slack off after winning the Champions League.
Only after the final league game would they get their break—and their season would be considered truly complete.
Until then, they had to stay sharp.
Matchday 38 of Serie A, the final round, would be held at the San Siro (Meazza) stadium.
This time, Inter were the home team.
And they had plenty of grievances.
To accommodate Milan's Champions League schedule, the Italian FA kept rescheduling fixtures, pushing this match to the very end of the season.
If the game had been played earlier, say during the semifinals of the Champions League, Inter would've had a better chance—Milan wouldn't have been able to focus fully on the league.
Though Milan had endured great fatigue, with the Champions League over and the trophy secured, they could now play with freedom.
Inter had voiced their frustrations, but the FA clearly favored Milan.
And with no significant European success, Inter had no leverage.
Milan, after all, were Italy's pride in Europe—and had delivered results.
So Inter swallowed their anger and waited to take revenge on the pitch.
Inter came in well-prepared,
While Milan entered the match with sky-high morale after winning Europe.
Both teams had their own missions.
As the Champions League final buzz still lingered, this Serie A title-deciding match became a major spectacle.
Even neutral fans, impressed by Milan's Champions League display, tuned in to watch.
With all the attention, this match felt like a throwback to the "Little World Cup" era of Italian football over a decade ago.
Of course, most of the hype was focused on AC Milan.
Even though Inter would grow stronger in the years to come and eventually overshadow Milan, for now, in terms of global influence, Inter were still the underdogs.
Under the bright lights of the San Siro, tens of thousands of Inter fans had painted the stadium in blue and black.
The chants were deafening.
This was a title decider—and a Milan derby—so naturally, it had everyone's attention.
To Inter fans, this was the best chance in years to beat Milan.
Last season, Milan were just too strong.
This season, the first half was all about Suker's dominance.
But now, after a grueling season, surely he couldn't maintain that insane form.
Even if he did, Inter had prepared specifically to deal with him.
Inter coach Mancini had publicly stated that the team's goal was to "stop Suker from scoring."
That bold statement meant Inter had a specific plan for Suker.
Meanwhile, Milan and Suker didn't make many changes—they would play as usual.
Suker still played as the left attacking midfielder, not the central striker.
Due to limited substitutes, he also had to occasionally fill in other roles.
But even in this position, he was deadly, still the central figure in Milan's attack—their No. 10 brain.
Starting lineups:
Inter Milan (4-4-2):
GK: César
Defenders: Srna, Córdoba, Burdisso, Zanetti
Midfield: Dacourt, Stanković, Materazzi, Figo
Forwards: Ibrahimović, Crespo
AC Milan (4-3-2-1):
GK: Dida
Defenders: Cafu, Nesta, Maldini, Oddo
Midfield: Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf
Forwards: Kaká, Ronaldo, Suker
Notably, Maicon was suspended due to a red card in Round 37, so Srna would face Suker at right-back.
Mancini deliberately placed Srna there, believing he understood Suker better and was ideal for executing the multi-man marking strategy.
As for Milan's Ronaldo, he was up against his former club.
But Ronaldo felt nothing—he'd faced former clubs so many times, it no longer meant anything.