MILAN – Ahead of tonight’s Serie A Week 37 meeting between Inter and Lazio at the Stadio Meazza, we offer you a selection of pre-match stats courtesy of Football Data.

Matchwinner Palacio
With his goal at Livorno helping to earn a 2-2 draw, Rodrigo Palacio reaffirmed his status as one of the league’s two most decisive players, joint with Udinese man Di Natale. The two forwards have brought their respective teams 20 points with their decisive goals.

Inter 2013/14: fourth-best Nerazzurri draw specialists in Serie A history
Inter have drawn 15 of their 36 league games so far this term, the fourth highest number of draws in a single season by the Nerazzurri since a unified league system was introduced in 1929/30. The record of 18 drawn matches was set in 2004/05, followed by 17 in 1991/92 and 16 in 1978/79.

Lazio on six-game scoring streak
Lazio are on their longest run of scoring in successive games in 2013/14, having found the target in each of their last six outings. During that time they have bagged 15 goals in total, an average of 2.5 per match. They last drew a blank on 26 March, a 2-0 defeat at Genoa.

MILAN – The Nerazzurri wideman spoke to BeIN Sport and Sport Mediaset following the Gentleman Awards.

Here’s what he had to say:

How important is this award to you?
"This is a very important award for me, because it’s the first I’ve received in the three years I’ve been in Italy. I’d like to thank my family and the fans who believe in the way I play. But what matters now is finishing the season well, getting into the Europa League and trying to do better next year."

How would you assess your own season?
"I think it’s gone well this year personally, it’s been a big season for me but also for Inter because we didn’t qualify for Europe last season, whereas this term we’re fighting until the end. The fans would definitely be happy if we get back into Europe."

What will Inter be like next season?
"An Inter side that needs to compete for the title and qualify for the Champions League. That’s the sort of season Inter need to have. It’s a big club that always needs to compete at the top end of the table: that’s what we’ll fight for next season."

Are you disappointed you didn’t make the Brazil World Cup squad?
"No, I’m not sad, in fact I’m delighted for all the guys who did get called up like Maicon and Hernanes, who now plays for Inter. I know they were hard calls for Scolari to make because there are so many good players in every position. I hope Brazil can do well in the World Cup, because we’re playing at home in front of lots of supporters. Let’s hope we win it."

What did Mazzarri and the players say after the disappointing derby performance?
"I’m sorry but I can’t tell you what was said because it has to remain in the dressing room. These are things that need to make you more of a team, and we know everyone’s gutted at the moment about having lost a hugely important derby. It’s not a good period for us, but we need to stay together and wait for this last home game to Lazio that we have to win to get closer to the Europa League."

Have you thought about why the match was so tough for Inter particularly from a psychological perspective?
"Games like that happen, sometimes you play badly, and that was the case in the derby. Just as they lost the first game. It’s not an excuse, but we know that our team can give more than we did in the last match against AC Milan. We hope to play good football against Lazio on Saturday and pick up three huge points for us."

Are you emotional about Zanetti’s last home game?
"Definitely, he’s a really important person not just for us but for the football world in general. He’s a player who’s won everything there is to win, who has everyone’s respect and he’s our captain. But, as he said, the important thing at this moment in time is just thinking about Lazio and winning the game. Then we can party with him afterwards."

Are you not disappointed that superstars like Kakà and Ronaldinho won’t be at the World Cup with Brazil?
"Of course it’s a shame, but that’s football. You can never know the way it’s going to go. Other big players will definitely come in like Neymar, Lucas and others who are shining in Brazil and will also shine in Europe."

MILAN – A footballing cross between Peter Pan and Superman, today he bids farewell to the stage where he has performed for 19 years of his career. He has Peter’s everlasting youth, created by hard work and supported by enthusiasm, while he has the fairness and spirit of a superhero.

Javier Adelmar Zanetti is 40, the time when wrinkles appear and your hair begins to thin, but ever since he got off the plane at Malpensa in the summer of ’95 he has changed very little. He is an extraordinarily ordinary man, an extremely rare trait in a world where everything tends to alter reality. He, though, has always done things his own way. He’s Mr. Loyal, to both Argentina and Inter (holding the appearance records for both), loyal to Paula, long-time girlfriend now wife and mother to his children, loyal to his body, even loyal to his hair which over the course of 19 seasons we’ve never seen out of place, unkempt or shaven.

His extraordinary ordinariness has been tested by disappointments and defeats, victories and silverware but it has survived in spite of all that. The captain’s incredible credibility is something recognised the world over. There’s no opponent who does not respect him, no coach who feels betrayed by him, no team-mate who has not received his encouragement. The humble, hugely important Captain, there’s only one ‘Capitano’, has experienced tears of joy in Madrid and 19 years of training sessions, 5,700 days at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti. His appearances currently stand at 856 and he has won 16 trophies.

In total that makes up 6,556 days with the Nerazzurri, give or take a few, because no one can stay in that sort of shape without training over the holidays too.

He grew up in a poor part of Argentina, showing greater talent on the pitch than in the classroom. He is the best example of ‘if you want to do something, you can achieve it’. Perhaps you might be like a million others but if you put the hard work in, you can do it. Javier waves goodbye to footballing action, and he will miss it like oxygen, regardless of what the future has in store for him. And it will take a bit of time for it to sink in that the name of Javier Zanetti will no longer be read out in the starting line-up over the public address system. Because from one moment onwards, almost immediately, Zanetti was synonymous with Inter.

Some people have the Nerazzurri tattooed on their skin, Javier Zanetti has it etched in his heart.

Photo courtesy of Panini.

MILAN – FC Internazionale and Javier Zanetti have teamed up again to create an exclusive graphic to celebrate the legendary Nerazzurri skipper’s last game at the Stadio Meazza.

The whole team will wear the patch on their shirts during Inter v Lazio and Nerazzurri fans can get their own replica copy as a souvenir of this day. The patch is available from the San Siro Store, ‘Solo Inter’ in Via Berchet or online here at a special price.