The latest chapter of the famous Derby della Madonnina rivalry pits the iconic Italian clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan, against each other for the 177th time in Serie A.
Saturday’s mouth-watering collision at San Siro marks one of the most significant dates on the Serie A schedule, especially now that both teams are back in the Scudetto race after Juventus’ decade-long dominance.
Milan and Inter went neck and neck for the title last season, with the Rossoneri coming out on top to take home their first Scudetto since 2010/11.
With the flames of this eternal rivalry burning more than ever after the Nerazzurri missed out on back-to-back titles due to Milan’s unexpected success, Simone Inzaghi’s side will be out to get their revenge.
Olivier Giroud bagged a second-half brace to overturn Inter’s 1-0 half-time lead and hand Milan what turned out to be a pivotal win in the Scudetto race last season.
The Frenchman’s heroics in the latest edition of the Derby della Madonnina may have played a crucial role in Inzaghi’s decision to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Italy over the summer.
In his last Serie A appearance against Milan, the Chelsea loanee scored a match-winning double, propelling Inter to a comprehensive 3-0 victory, which ironically remains their last H2H league win to date (D1, L1).
Match Preview
AC Milan
Despite coming into this clash without losing a game this season, Milan’s title defence has started at a slow pace, with the Rossoneri alternating between winning and drawing across their opening four Serie A matches.
While waiting for Divock Origi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return from injuries, Pioli’s team looked out of steam and ideas in the front third during an underwhelming scoreless draw at Sassuolo on Tuesday.
Summer signing Charles De Ketelaere has been a breath of fresh air in the early Milan fixtures this season and he could provide much-needed support to star forward Rafael Leao on Saturday.
Inter Milan
Unlike Milan, Inter have clocked up three victories from their opening four Serie A matches, but their solitary defeat came against the most high-profile opposition, Lazio.
Inzaghi’s side fell apart at the Stadio Olimpico on matchday three, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat to the Biancocelesti but bounced back to crush newly-promoted Cremonese by an identical scoreline in midweek.
The Nerazzurri’s porous backline has failed to keep a clean sheet in three of the previous four Inter fixtures in Serie A. That requires immediate attention if they are to claim the city’s bragging rights this weekend.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan Potential Line-ups
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu, Davide Calabria; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Ante Rebic, Rafael Leao, Charles De Ketelaere; Olivier Giroud.
Inter Milan (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcelo Brozovic, Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku.
How to Watch?
Milan vs Inter, alongside all other Serie A fixtures, is available to watch online via Serie A live streams.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan Prediction
Neither manager would want to find themselves on the losing side of such a mammoth match-up, so both teams should approach this fixture carefully, especially before half-time.
Both sides have shown they can be a formidable force on their day, but we still expect a share of the spoils, which has been the case in two of their last four competitive H2Hs.
One goal on each side could be the order of the day.
AC Milan 1-1 Inter Milan
