Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Serie A derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
For the first time this season, Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter Milan will meet in the Derby della Madonnina, as the old foes clash at San Siro on Sunday evening.
Split by two points – with Inter’s fine form keeping their noses just ahead of Milan – both sides are vying for the Scudetto.
Match preview
After maintaining a 100% record in Europe by beating Kairat 2-1, Inter departed for the international break with another win four days later, as they put a halt to Lazio’s recent revival.
Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny took the Nerazzurri to the top of the Serie A table – level on points with surprise contenders Roma – and applied pressure on several title rivals.
Both Milan and reigning champions Napoli are also in the mix with 11 rounds completed, and coach Cristian Chivu – a treble-winner during his playing days – will be aware his side still face a marathon, not a sprint.
That said, all the signs look good. Since suffering back-to-back defeats in September, Inter have won seven of their last eight league matches while averaging over two goals per game.
By some distance, they lead the scoring charts with a league-high total of 26 so far, having also scored at least twice in each of their Champions League fixtures.
On a maximum 12 points, Chivu’s men sit third in the latter competition’s giant league table ahead of next Wednesday’s clash with Atletico Madrid.
Before heading to the Spanish capital, Inter must tend to the small matter of this season’s first Milan derby, having let their recent dominance slip in recent months.
Despite their rivals’ chronic inconsistency, the Nerazzurri lost three of five derbies last term and needed Stefan De Vrij‘s late strike to salvage something from the last league meeting – a dramatic 1-1 draw in February.
After a 2-1 victory ended their long losing streak against Inter in September 2024, Milan went on to prevail in both the Supercoppa Italiana and a two-legged cup semi-final.
Those triumphs in the second-city derby were rare moments of joy for fans enduring a chaotic year, but the return of veteran coach Massimiliano Allegri has since brought some much-needed stability.
Just before the break, his side missed a chance to claim top spot in Serie A by spilling a two-goal lead in Parma, after Alexis Saelemaekers and Rafael Leao had put them in total control at Stadio Tardini.
Having been forced to settle for a draw, the Rossoneri ultimately slipped to third place – two points behind both Inter and Roma – but they remain Scudetto contenders.
Without European games cluttering their schedule, Milan have gradually built momentum, going 10 games unbeaten across Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
Their title credentials will now be fully tested in the Derby della Madonnina, as wily tactician Allegri goes head-to-head with Inter’s rookie coach Chivu.
Inter Milan Serie A form:
W W L W W W
Inter Milan form (all competitions):
W L W W W W
AC Milan Serie A form:
D W D D W D
Team News
Inter are missing three men for Sunday’s big game, as Denzel Dumfries is struggling with an ankle problem and could join Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian on the sidelines.
With Mkhitaryan still unavailable, Petar Sucic and Piotr Zielinski are vying for one place in midfield, while left-footer Carlos Augusto might fill in for Dumfries on the right flank.
Chivu has an abundance of talent to choose from up front, as French duo Bonny and Marcus Thuram will battle with Italy striker Francesco Pio Esposito to partner club captain Martinez. The latter needs one more goal to become just the third Inter player to score 10 times against Milan.
Meanwhile, the Rossoneri’s attacking options are relatively sparse: with Santiago Gimenez injured, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic should form an unorthodox front pair, leaving Christopher Nkunku on the bench.
As Adrien Rabiot has returned to team training – and is ready to join Luka Modric in midfield – Allegri now has an almost full squad to pick from.
Milan’s main selection call comes on the left flank, where Davide Bartesaghi is slight favourite to keep his place ahead of Pervis Estupinan.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Augusto, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao
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We say: Inter Milan 1-0 AC Milan
Milan cannot afford to fall five points behind free-scoring Inter, so Allegri will take a typically cautious approach to his first Derby della Madonnina for more than a decade.
Still, the Nerazzurri’s substantial firepower should prove enough to score once, and that could well decide matters at San Siro.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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