Derby Milan Heats: Inter Aims For Seventh In A Row Victory Over AC Milan

Francesco Acerbi Inter Milan defensive breath (photo: x @Inter)

JAKARTA - The Derby della Madonnina returned to San Siro, Sunday 22 September, when the Serie A champion, Inter Milan, met city rivals AC Milan. Inter are eyeing a seventh straight win over the Rossoneri, while Milan are struggling to restore their form under coach Paulo Fonseca who is in danger of being sacked.

In recent years, Inter's dominance over AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina has been striking. Simone Inzaghi's side managed to win their last six meetings against Milan in three different competitions, with a total score of 14-2. Included in the win were two wins in the 2023 Champions League semifinals and an unforgettable 5-1 win in the league late last year.

Inter also successfully beat Milan last April with a score of 2-1, a win that led them to the 20th Scudetto. Since the 2017-18 season, the Nerazzurri have won nine of their 14 Serie A meetings against Milan, a record they only passed against teams like Udinese and Hellas Verona. Victory at this derby will bring Simone Inzaghi to record his name as coach with the second-largest number of wins at this derby.

Currently, Inter are in third place in Serie A standings, two points behind interim leader Udinese, after a 1-1 draw against Monza last week. Despite losing points, they remain unbeaten this season, including a goalless draw against Manchester City in the Champions League in the middle of the week.

On the other hand, AC Milan is under heavy pressure. They just lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the Champions League opener, despite having taken the lead through Christian Pulisic's goal. This condition exacerbated the position of coach Paulo Fonseca, who reportedly grew closer to his dismissal after winning only one in five games earlier this season.

Milan currently sit in 10th place in the Serie A standings with five points, the worst start since 2018. Even so, a 4-0 win over Venezia last week, with goals from Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez, Pulisic, and new player Youssouf Fofana, gave Rossoneri fans hope. However, rumors that club legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic is looking for a new coach to add pressure to Fonseca.

Milan last won a derby in September 2022, a few months after they won the Serie A title by beating Inter. Thus, the victory in this derby is highly anticipated by Milan fans who have been waiting for the moment of retaliation for a long time.

Inter Milan are likely to be strengthened again by Federico Dimarco who missed the Champions League due to a muscle injury. Lautaro Martinez, who has yet to score this season, is also expected to start again after only sitting on the bench against Manchester City. Marcus Thuram will lead Inter's front line after performing brilliantly with six goals in four Serie A games this season.

AC Milan, on the other hand, still has to wait for the certainty of the fitness of main goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who was injured against Liverpool. If Maignan is absent, AC Milan is forced to field young goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, considering reserve goalkeeper Marco Sportiello is also still injured. On the front lines, Rafael Leao and Alvaro Morata will be the focus, with Pulisic providing support from the wing.

The game is predicted to be fierce, with Inter trying to maintain their dominance in the city of Milan, while AC Milan looking for a way to bounce back under heavy pressure.

Inter Milan (3-5-2):Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

AC Milan (4-2-3-1):Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata