MILAN -- AS Roma President Franco Sensi has turned the heat up ahead of Sunday's match against Inter Milan by claiming he craftily sold Inter a "dummy" when he agreed to loan them Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta.

In comments reported by the daily Gazzetta Dello Sport on Friday, Sensi, one of the more outspoken Serie A club presidents, also told his coach Fabio Capello to make up his mind about his future.

Batistuta, 34, will line up alongside Christian Vieri in the Inter attack against the club with whom he won the Italian title in 2001, but Sensi was heavily sarcastic when asked if he was concerned about the former Roma hero playing on Sunday. "Oh what fear I have, my legs are trembling," Sensi said. "His sale was a canny move from Roma, we tried to sell Inter a dummy, as they say."

Batistuta joined Roma from Fiorentina in 2000 for $33.8 million and his 20 goals helped the club to their first Serie A title in 18 years.

But he was unable to keep up his scoring form last season and, after being left on the bench frequently by Capello this term, was loaned to Inter after their first-choice striker Hernan Crespo was injured in January.

"We really paid a lot for him, he produced a good first season and helped us to win the title but the second and third seasons were a debacle," said Sensi.

"I shouldn't say it, because he is a professional player but I reckon he'll play another two months in Italy and then no one will see him again," Reuters quoted Sensi as saying.

Inter Milan President Massimo Moratti laughed off Sensi's comments and recalled how he had bought Cristiano Zanetti from Roma and the midfielder later become a regular in the Italian national side.

"He said the same when we bought Cristiano Zanetti ... it seems to be a house tradition, that when he sells Someone Sensi considers them to be finished," said Moratti.