Icardi eyes Ronaldo match-up as Inter bid to halt Juventus

Mauro Icardi said he was relishing the chance to measure himself against Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time as Inter Milan travel to Turin on Friday looking to inflict the first defeat of the season on Italian champions Juventus and keep the Serie A title race alive.

Juventus have set a frenetic pace this season since signing Ronaldo, making a record start with 40 points after the first 14 games in Serie A.

Napoli are second -- eight points behind Juventus -- with Inter Milan 11 points adrift of the champions in third.

A defeat for Inter in the 'Derby D'Italia' between the two northern giants would likely be a killer blow to their ambitions and leave Juventus free to claim an eighth consecutive title.

"I've played (Juventus) many times but this is the most important since I've been here," said Icardi.

"I won't settle for a draw. We must go there without fear.

"I can't wait to play against Cristiano Ronaldo, it will be a pleasure to have him up front. But he's not my problem, (defenders) Stefan de Vrij and Milan Skriniar are there."
"We're ready for the match. We're improving and playing better, every season we try to do better than the previous one."
- Ronaldo's added motivation -
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"It's the game of the year because it's the Derby d'Italia and that's always one of the toughest, five out of five on the difficulty scale, but then we need to get to May and win the Scudetto."