Tonight, there will be an exciting derby to play at the San Siro: AC Milan will take on Inter in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. The Nerazzurri will be hosting.
The first game ended in a goalless draw and now, it is up to both clubs to accelerate and see who can come out victorious.
The away goal rule counts a lot for AC Milan and Inter in this derby:
The Coppa Italia has its charm and its rules. Both coaches are taking into consideration the away goal rule. the Rossoneri's tactician, Stefano Pioli said the following to the media in yesterday's press conference when the subject was brought forward:
"Away goal rule? Our attitude and our way of playing against Inter have always been pretty similar. Inter are difficult to face, they have positions that will force us to run a lot. We have our strategy, we need quality with and without the ball."
As for Inter's boss, Simone Inzaghi, he said this in his own press conference:
"We will go on and we accept it. Not having scored in the first leg, we will have to take it into account for tomorrow evening."
Key AC Milan players to keep an eye on:
The game between the two Serie A giants is surely a clash which millions of football fans around the world will be watching and some players could be the key to unlock such a big match:
Franck Kessié: the AC Milan manager admitted in his press conference that the Ivorian midfielder (or Rade Krunic) could start in the attacking midfielder position instead of Brahim Diaz because Inter's Brozovic needs to be stopped. He must be deprived of space on the pitch.
Theo Hernandez: the Rossoneri's flying full-back will have to show all of his qualities and expertise on the left flank as he will have a tiring game on the offensive phase and also the defensive one.
Rafael Leao: the Portuguese left-winger scored an important goal against Genoa after a period of scoring drought. The Rossoneri fans and club will be hoping that the momentum built in the last Serie A game could be a great boost to the former Lille player whose explosiveness and dribbles will be much-needed.
As for Inter, there are also quite a few players who can make the difference, the main one is their Italian midfielder:
Nicolo Barella: The former Cagliari man who is 25 years old has 3 goals and 10 assists for himself in 30 Serie A matches. His presence is always a great push for his teammates who rely on his movements forward and vision to deliver important through or long balls from a distance.
Marcelo Brozovic: Stefano Pioli's plan to stop Brozovic could work (by deploying defensive minded Franck Kessié or Rade Krunic in the attacking midfielder spot). But, there will have to be a lot of physicality and challenges for the ball. Brozovic must be tightly marked because he is the engine of the Nerazzurri and he should not be left at ease when he distributes passes to build attacks.
Edin Dzeko: the Bosnian star striker of Inter who is 36 years old has 17 goals and 9 assists between Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia this season. He is dangerous in the air and Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori will definitely have their hands full while dealing with him and his teammate Lautaro Martinez.
It will be a difficult match with a lot of intensity and physical challenges which is why both coaches are studying the best approaches, keeping in mind the goalless draw result in the first leg of the semi-final on March 1.
The probable lineup of Inter:
The Inter boss, Simone Inzaghi, could decide to go with the following lineup:
3-5-2: Handanovic; D'Ambrosio, Skriniar, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Gosens; Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez
AC Milan's likely formation:
