Cup Specialist Simone Inzaghi Heading Into Game Of His Life

Getting Inter Milan to Saturday's Champions League final is the latest achievement in Simone Inzaghi's understated managerial career which has highlighted his ability to perform against the odds. Inzaghi, 47, spent his playing career firmly in the shadow of his older brother Filippo, a prolific goalscorer for Italy's biggest clubs, a two-time European champion and World Cup winner. The younger Inzaghi, also a striker, played most of his career for Lazio, where he is loved by fans despite a modest goal record and a single league title won 23 years ago.

However in the managerial game it is Simone who is leading the way, at the helm of one of Europe's traditional powerhouses while Filippo slogs about in the lower leagues.

And now he has a chances of winning the biggest honour the club game has to offer, just as his brother did as a player in 2003 and 2007 with Inter's local rivals AC Milan.

"It's my most important ever match, but I believe that's also the case for my players, because we have players like (Edin) Dezko and (Andre) Onana who have played in semi-finals," Inzaghi told reporters on Monday.

"It repays all our effort as it's been a long, hard year."

Inzaghi took over at Lazio in 2016 after working his way up through the youth ranks and immediately made an impact, taking the Roman club back into Europe and losing the Italian Cup final to all-conquering Juventus.

Lazio are frequently overshadowed by crosstown rivals Roma and hampered by a budget which is dwarfed by Italy' big three of Juve, Inter and Milan who themselves are relative paupers on the continent.

The 2019 Italian Cup, two Super Cups -- both won against Juve -- and Champions League qualification in 2020 might not sound like much but it was enough to