It’s matchday 12 in Serie A and it’s the Derby Della Madonnina as the two Milano clubs lock horns for the first derby of the season. A.C. Milan faces their toughest challenge in their bid to the Serie A title as they lock horns with the defending champions and third-placed Inter who look to reduce the deficit of 7 points between them and the top two high flyers.
Milan sits 2nd in the table behind high-flying Napoli only on goal difference having scored equal points. They saw out Roma in their last match at the Stadio Olimpico to continue their unbeaten run in the Italian Top Flight and bid for the title challenge. They have also put up a streak of winning 7 continuous matches after their draw against Juventus early on in the season.
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Inter meanwhile have had a difficult time replicating their form of last season. They sit 3rd in the table trailing Milan by 7 points and will be hoping to secure a win here to cut the deficit. Inter have won their matches in decent fashion after losing out to Lazio a few weeks earlier. They’ve won two of their matches and have played a draw with Juventus. They’ve lost only once this season in Serie A against Lazio and will be looking to go into the game with confidence. The Rossoneri host the Nerrazurri in what will be a stern test for both sides and will go a long way in shaping the Serie A title challenge this season.
A.C. MILAN VS INTER MILAN – STATS
- Inter have scored their most number of Serie A goals against Milan – 246 in 174 matches.
- The Rossoneri have lost most matches against their cross town rivals – 67, on level terms with Juventus.
- Inter have won their last 5 out of 6 derbies, losing only one. They’ve scored 14 and conceded only 6 in these matches.
- A.C. Milan have lost their last 3 home derbies in Serie A. The last time they lost more successive matches was back between 1929 and 1934.
- After November 2016, this will be the first time that A.C. Milan will play their cross town rivals with a gap of at least 7 points. The gap in 2016 was 8 points. The game ended 2 – 2 with current Milan manager Stefano Pioli managing Inter during that time.
- The Rossoneri have won 10 out of their opening 11 matches for first time in their history, which also includes 7 consecutive victories. They last won 8 consecutive games in 2006 under Carlo Ancelotti.
- Since beginning of 2020, both the Milan based clubs have gained the most points in Italian top flight.
- Inter Milan are undefeated in 31 of their last 33 matches in Serie A.
- Inter Milan have won six of their last seven games against A.C. Milan in all competitions.
FORM
A.C. Milan (Serie A) – W W W W W
Inter Milan (Serie A) – W W D L W
A.C. MILAN VS INTER MILAN – TEAM NEWS
A. C. Milan
Stefano Pioli will have at least 6 first-team players missing for this vital clash. Ante Rebic is expected to be back in the squad and fit for the game. Theo Hernandez will miss out on the clash due to the red card he picked in the win over Roma. He will be replaced by Fode Ballo – Toure who has given decent performances when played. Pierre Kalulu at left-back can also be an option. Kessie and Sandro Tonali are likely to make up the game’s double pivot, which means Ismael Bennacer is likely to be dropped to the bench. Ciprian Tatarusanu will get another start in the absence of Mike Maignan who sits out with an injury.
Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori are expected to make the Central Defence pairing. Davide Calabria is expected to be fit and start at right-back, despite picking up a head injury against Porto midweek. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to start against his former club, with Olivier Giroud being dropped to the bench. Brahim Diaz is also expected to be back after recovering from Covid 19. Samu Castillejo and Alessio Romagnoli miss out on the clash.
PREDICTED LINEUP
Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1
GK: Ciprian Tatarusanu
Defense : Davide Calabria , Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori , Fode Ballo – Toure
CDM : Sandro Tonali , Franck Kessie
Attack : Alexis Saelemakers , Brahim Diaz , Rafael Leao
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi will have a rare chance as he has a near fully fit squad for this game. Hakan Calhanoglu, who crossed the divide from A.C Milan to Inter Milan at the beginning of the season, will be back facing his old team. He will be contended by Arturo Vidal, who is back, is expected to be benched. Ivan Perisic is expected to be back in the lineup. Inzaghi will have a tough choice to choose from Denzel Dumfries and Matteo Darmian on the right flank. Edin Dzeko will start upfront with Lautaro Martinez.
Formation – 3 – 5 – 2
GK : Samir Handanovic
Defense : Milan Skriniar , Stefan De Vrij , Alessandro Bastoni
Midfield: Matteo Darmian , Nicolo Barella , Marcelo Brozovic , Hakan Calhanolgu, Ivan Perisic
Attack : Edin Dzeko,Lautaro Martinez
Players to watch out for
Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu
The man in goal will be having a tough day at bay as he will look to stop the relentless Inter attack. He will have to be at his very best to be able to help his side in the title challenge.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The never-aging man will be looking to have a great game against his former side. He has scored six goals in Serie A derbies against Inter and he will be looking to add more to his tally and help his side.
Inter
Samir Handonovic
The Inter goalkeeper will be having a busy night against the Milanese attack who will go all outs to get the win. The onus will be on him to help his side close the gap in the title tide.
Edin Dzeko
He has adapted to life perfectly after switching trades from Roma. Dzeko has been a constant threat to opposition and will be looking to continue his run of form. He has been the man in form for inter scoring 7 goals till now in Serie so far.
CONCLUSION
The Derby Della Madonnina will be an exciting match with both sides going all out for the title challenge. A.C Milan has made a strong start to the season winning 10 out of their 11 games. Inter have made a difficult start to the season trying to replicate their form of last season. The Nerazzurri will be looking to win and close the deficit in the title challenge. The Rossoneri will be looking to win and extend their gap to 10 points in the title run.
Our Prediction Milan 2 – 1 Inter
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