The arrival of Lukas Podolski at Inter Milan has added further spice to Tuesday night's Derby d'Italia with the Germany international set to line up against Juventus -- the side he followed as a boy.
The paperwork on Podolski's loan move from Arsenal went through on Monday evening, allowing Inter coach Roberto Mancini to include him in the 25-strong group of players he will be taking to Turin.
Podolski could even be thrust straight into the action at the Juventus Stadium with Rodrigo Palacio not 100 percent fit -- in addition to an ankle injury, the Argentinean also has a mild cold. That would see Podolski come up against his nemesis, Gianluigi Buffon.
The Italy No.1 denied Podolski with what Buffon has since classified as the best save of his career during the 2006 World Cup semifinal tie between the two nations. That save paved the way for Italy's 2-0 extra-time victory on their way to lifting the trophy in Berlin.
"Buffon is one of the best in the world and what he did against me was enough to convince me," Podolski told La Gazzetta dello Sport a year after that disappointment. "For me, it was in. It was the 112th minute, still 0-0 and it could have changed the story of the World Cup.
"But Buffon saved it. It was an amazing save."
Should Podolski get the chance on Tuesday night, he will try to gain revenge for that moment, even if he admitted back then he had a penchant for the Bianconeri.
"I used to go crazy for [Zinedine] Zidane and [Alessandro] Del Piero. I really do like Juve," he said, joking at the time that the only reason Inter were winning Serie A was because Juve were in Serie B.
On Monday, he had a reassuring message for Nerazzurri fans once his transfer went through.
He posted his pride at being "part of the glorious world famous club" on Instagram and stated how he hopes to leave a lasting impression in his five months with the club.
Inter fans will be hoping Podolski can replicate the goal he scored in his first training session -- which he also posted on Instagram saying "glad to see my left foot still works" -- and see him worthy of wearing the No.11 shirt previously worn by German great Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.