Serie A Preview: Milan vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Less than a month from their five-goal thriller in Saudi Arabia, Milan and Inter renew hostilities in one of the standout fixtures in the Serie A calendar. Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for the 182nd top-flight edition of the famous Derby della Madonnina.

The stakes are incredibly high in Sunday’s Milan derby. Both teams desperately need points to fortify their seasonal goals, making it for good reading for neutrals. However, the Rossoneri fans are probably trembling ahead of the third meeting between Milan and Inter this season.

Both sides featured in midweek Champions League action but encountered contrasting fortunes. Sergio Conceicao’s side entered the final league-phase round in the top eight, only for a dismal 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb to condemn them to a playoff berth.

Yunus Musah’s first-half expulsion at the Maksimir Stadion was the instrument of Milan’s demise. Another erratic defensive performance rendered Christian Pulisic’s second-half strike a mere consolation as the Rossoneri suffered only their second defeat under Conceicao.

In contrast to their arch-rivals’ embarrassing result in Croatia, Inter put 10-man Monaco to the sword at the San Siro. Back to his best, Lautaro Martinez bagged a match-winning hat-trick to draw level with Sandro Mazzola as the club’s joint-top scorer in the Champions League.

El Toro’s return to form has coincided with Inter’s purple patch. Simone Inzaghi’s men have won five of their six competitive matches since losing to Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana final in Riyadh, with the 27-year-old Argentine in the last five.

Match Preview

Milan

Despite trailing by two goals ‘to nil’ after only 50 minutes, Milan beat Inter 3-2 in the Super Cup final to win their first trophy since 2022. As a result, Conceicao could become the first Rossoneri manager to win his first two derbies in charge of the club since Massimiliano Allegri in 2011.

However, the task at hand is nothing short of Herculean. Back-to-back derby wins are as many as Milan accumulated from their previous 13 meetings with Inter (D2, L9). Yet, Milan’s see-saw form under Conceicao has resulted in a 62.5% win rate across all competitions (W5, D1, L2).

Four of those five victories saw Milan come from behind to take three points. There’s no doubt Conceicao will aim for a better start as his men bid to maintain their purple patch at home. Indeed, they last lost a competitive game at the San Siro in October (W5, D4).

Parma came close to ending that run last weekend, but Milan hauled back a slender deficit in second-half stoppages to win 3-2. They, nonetheless, commence this matchday a whopping 16 points adrift of Inter.

Inter

While Milan’s European hopes teeter on the edge of disaster, Inzaghi’s charges remain firmly in contention for a second consecutive Scudetto. Only three points separate Inter from table-topping Napoli, albeit the reigning holders have a game in hand.

Furthermore, they’ve been in formidable form since losing a league match against Milan. A 15-game unbeaten run in Serie A (W12, D3) perhaps best illustrates Inter’s domestic superiority. However, Inzaghi should know better than to let that tuck into a false sense of security.

Inter have failed to win four of their last five home encounters against current top-eight teams (D3, L1). But they’ve been incredible when favored by the bookmakers in top-flight action (W15, D5), not to mention they’ve won their last three competitive games via a combined score of 8-0.

Team News

Milan will be without long-term absentee Alessandro Florenzi. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Emerson Royal, and Malick Thiaw keep him company in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Youssouf Fofana is serving a one-game ban for accumulated yellow cards. Kyle Walker could at least make his Rossoneri debut.

On the other hand, Inter cannot call upon Francesco Acerbi and Joaquin Correa. The injured duo is close to regaining full fitness, but this game comes too early for them. However, Hakan Calhanoglu could rejoin the team after missing the last six matches with a muscle problem.

Milan vs Inter Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Bennacer, Musah; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

Milan vs Inter Prediction

In-form Lautaro and Capocannoinere hopeful Marcus Thuram could have a field day against Milan’s porous backline. Pure willpower bailed Milan out of their vast defensive problems in the Italian Super Cup, but Inter should enact their revenge on Sunday.