'Derby della Madonnina' is the most watched derby in the world. It is the game that brings two sides on the pitch to see who comes out victorious for the bragging rights. Both teams have determination and are enjoying good spells in this Serie A season.
AC Milan have 31 points so far in the standings, being first with Napoli while Inter are third as they have 24 points. Simone Inzaghi's men, however, are enjoying a very good attacking department led by Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa. The black and blue side of Milan is the strongest attack in Serie A with 28 goals scored so far. They have conceded 12 goals while Milan only conceded 10 and scored 25.
On numbers, the game may seem balanced. However, rankings and numbers do not matter because predictions are very difficult when it comes to the Milano Derby.
Stefano Pioli thinks that the bitter rivals from across town are the favourites to win (his words) because they have won last year's scudetto, and also because it's the right way to relieve pressure off his players and put it on Inter and their manager.
The Rossoneri coach has recovered some important players such as Ante Rebic who will be able to help out his teammates when needed. Alessandro Florenzi and Fodé Ballo-Touré (who is tipped to start ahead of Pierre Kalulu) have also returned from their respective injuries.
To stop Inter, or at least make them less dangerous, one key player must be 'turned off' who is: Marcelo Brozovic. The 28-year-old Croatian midfielder is very important in the transitional phase of Inter and in the defensive phase too as he is capable to execute good tackles and pressing on the holder of the ball. But, this is where the battle of the midfield comes into play. Sandro Tonali will be the man to mark Brozovic. In fact, if Inter's midfielder is marked tightly when he has the ball, he will not be able to have an easy time on the field in distributing the ball to the attacking wingbacks or other teammates going forward. The pressing will be Pioli's weapon tonight as he looks to stop Inter from creating organised attacks. But, Milan must know when to fall back and when to press high.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also set to start as he is looking to score yet again against his former team. The Swede veteran wants to continue on helping his team and bring the win to reach the break in the best possible position while former Chelsea frontman Olivier Giroud will be eager to step in and play his first Derby.
Davide Calabria will also be important tonight as he will be aiming to redeem himself after a difficult half displayed against Porto at the San Siro. On the other flank, Fodé Ballo-Touré must be very focused. The Senegalese loanee of Monaco will have to believe in himself and play to the best of his abilities to try to replace the absence of Theo Hernandez, whose attacking contribution will be missed.
For Inter, it seems that Hakan Calhanoglu will play as a starter against his former team. There is a lot of tension from the fans and one can expect that tonight will be a hostile environment for the Turk. The former AC Milan player has some important qualities to rely on as he likes to shoot from distance. Franck Kessié will have to be attentive in closing him down and 'suffocating' him. He must not be left with any space to himself.
Milan are the hosts, and they will want to win for their fans and for the Serie A rankings. Pioli's boys will play the Derby with special concentration. The escape is what they desire: a 10-point lead on Inter in the standings. Pioli will rely on Brahim Diaz who will hopefully be on top of his form with Rafael Leao who must lead strong and organised counter-attacks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the target man.
The guests' coach will likely choose this lineup:
Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Lautaro
As for AC Milan who play in front of their fans, Pioli may choose to play Brahim Diaz as a winger instead of Alexis Saelemaekers and put Rade Krunic on as the playmaker behind Ibrahimovic.
