Inter Milan and AC Milan enter yet another Derby della Madonnina to seek bragging rights as two Italian giants in contrasting forms make up for a Sunday blockbuster.
The Derby della Madonnina is considered one of the prestigious yet fiery derbies in World Football, but over the last few years, this has been a one-sided affair. Inter Milan are set to play host and will look to extend their six-game winning run in this fixture when they welcome AC Milan at San Siro.
Inter Milan have yet to start the season in the way they ended the championship-winning campaign last time out. But Simone Inzaghi will be satisfied with their early performances. An opening day draws to Genoa followed up by a victory over Lecce; Inter then thrashed Atalanta with a 4-0 scoreline to make their mark on the new campaign,
They have since followed up with back-to-back draws against AC Monza and then Manchester City, as Inzaghi will be happy with the latter result. Inter went to the Etihad and played a superb game to deny Pep Guardiola’s side a win, and made their presence felt rather than sitting back and defending. Inzaghi will look to build on that performance against Milan, who are in troubled form.
While Inter continue to build form early in the season, the same cannot be said of their neighbours, AC Milan. The Rossoneri suffered an untimely Champions League defeat at the hands of Liverpool at home, where Christian Pulisic opened the scoring and then saw his defenders abysmally surrender the advantage.
Reports in Italy have already pointed towards a possible sack for new manager Paulo Fonseca, who has not been able to replicate his performance from his LOSC Lille days, as there are defensive deficiencies in this Milan side.
Before their Champions League encounter, AC Milan found their first win of the season after three consecutive draws to start their season. They beat ten-man Venezia, something they were expected to do, as a bad result then would have been catastrophic. However, as the Derby della Madonnina inches closer, all sorts of forms go out the window, as this clash tends to produce a solid atmosphere.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Simone Inzhagi does have a full complement of the squad to enter this derby with optimism, with Tajon Buchanan the only personnel missing from action. Having rested a few of his critical stars for the midweek UEFA Champions League clash, the manager does have the luxury of picking his best team for the Derby della Madonnina.
Inzaghi could also have Federico Dimarco back in contention after he missed the Manchester City clash with a muscular problem. So, Carlos Augusto could return to the bench. Lautaro Martinez, who was on the bench for that game as part of his recent injury management, should start up front in place of Mehdi Taremi.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan should return to the midfield in place of the impressive Piotr Zielinski, while Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu should continue to feature. Benjamin Pavard should also return to the backline at the expense of Yann Bisseck, while Denzel Dumfries should replace Darmian.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumbries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
AC Milan
In contrast, Milan has a rather long list of injured stars who Fonseca cannot call upon. Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, Malick Thiaw, and Marco Sportiello are all sideline dand will miss the game.
The injury to the second-choice goalkeeper has caused further distress as Mike Maignan was taken off in midweek against Manchester City, sparking rumours he is badly injured. In that case, teenager Lorenzo Torriani will have come in place, although Fonseca expects the France international keeper to take his place between the sticks.
In the attack, the manager might have to choose between Alvaro Morata and Tammy Abraham to lead the line. However, given the occasion, the Spaniard’s experience could play a significant role in Fonseca’s thinking. Pulisic and Rafael Leao are pencilled in to start in the attacking third, while Tijani Reijnders will continue to play in that advanced midfield role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata
Key Stats
- Inter have won their last six matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- Inter have been winning at both half-time and full-time in five of their last six matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- Inter Milan are unbeaten in all competitions this season.
- AC Milan last won this derby in September 2022.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Both teams have a host of star players to pick the one to watch a difficult task. However, the player here is the one who sat on the bench in midweek, as Inzaghi did not want to take any risks. Lautaro Martinez will want to make an excellent start to the season after the stop-gap nature of the current campaign.
The Argentine might have had his deserved rest after a taxing summer with Argentina and will want to start firing on all cylinders when they meet AC Milan on Sunday. Martinez must put in a strong performance and seek the bragging rights of being the best player in this derby until the two teams meet again.
Prediction
Inter Milan 2-0 AC Milan
AC Milan will always try to put in a competitive performance in this fixture, but they have yet to win in the last six such games. The Rossoneri have not won against Inter Milan for over precisely two years, and that run might continue into the foreseeable future.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, are in a supreme vein of form and are vying to get much better than they have started the new season. Followed by that draw at Manchester City, Simone Inzaghi will want his side to put AC Milan to the sword, as they will come out of this derby with three points and possibly a clean sheet.