AC Milan vs Inter Milan – News and Probable Lineups

In a final attempt to prevent their city rivals from pulling ahead, AC Milan will face Serie A leaders Inter de Milão in a crucial encounter at San Siro on Sunday night.

This season marks the second Derby della Madonnina, with both teams competing for the Scudetto. Milan currently trails Inter by 10 points, making a victory essential for their title hopes.

Match overview

Following a recent 1-0 loss to Parma that halted Milan’s 24-match unbeaten streak in Serie A, the Rossoneri managed to avoid another disappointing result last weekend against the team that had previously defeated them in Italy’s top division.

Cremonese had unexpectedly secured a win at San Siro on the opening day, but late goals from Strahinja Pavlovic and Rafael Leao reversed that outcome, preventing Milan from falling 12 points behind the league leaders.

Max Allegri’s squad previously needed a late winner to overcome lowly Pisa before managing a home draw against high-flying Como, indicating their struggle to keep pace with Inter’s momentum.

Despite having only lost twice in Serie A, their rivals, the Nerazzurri, have suffered four defeats but also have eight more draws, resulting in a 10-point gap.

Now set to “host” their rivals who share the stadium, Milan has recorded just one victory from their last four home outings, narrowly edging past Lecce in mid-January thanks to a late strike.

Nevertheless, the Rossoneri can take solace in their significant improvement in second-city derbies, having previously endured several tough losses to Inter.

In all competitions, they have won four and haven’t suffered a single loss in their last six encounters, including a 1-0 victory in this season’s prior clash.

This means that Milan could achieve a Serie A derby double for the first time since 2011, during Allegri’s earlier successful tenure at the club.

However, Inter will have different ambitions for this match, having remained unbeaten in the league since late November, following a 1-0 defeat to their fierce city rivals.

In that match, Mike Maignan denied ex-Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu from the penalty spot, but the Nerazzurri then went on to enjoy a remarkable 15-game unbeaten streak in Serie A.

Despite recently exiting Europe, last week’s 2-0 victory over Genoa marked their eighth consecutive league win, showcasing their dominance in the division.

Inter leads in scoring, netting 21 more goals than Milan, and their set-piece prowess is evident with 21 goals, including a league-high of 15 from corner situations. Conversely, Milan has conceded half of their goals from set plays, with 25% of those being from corners.

With the Scudetto almost within reach, Cristian Chivu’s side aims for a rare domestic double as they prepare for Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Como.

After a dismal goalless draw set them up well for next month’s home leg, the Nerazzurri must now focus on clinching the title.

Acting as the “visitors” this weekend, Chivu and his squad have won their last nine Serie A away fixtures, maintaining clean sheets in the last six – they could achieve 10 consecutive away wins for only the second time in their entire top-flight history.

They’ll have the opportunity to achieve this feat in a familiar setting, with another win at San Siro potentially establishing a 13-point lead with only 10 games left to play.

Team News

Milan’s midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to be sidelined for several weeks due to a serious facial injury. Additionally, centre-back Matteo Gabbia (hernia) and overlooked striker Santiago Gimenez (ankle) are also out of action.

Allegri will have the option to select Davide Bartesaghi, as the young wing-back has quickly recovered from a flexor injury sustained against Cremonese.

Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug are also in contention for forward roles, but it is likely that Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao will retain their places up front.

After scoring the crucial goal in the November rematch, Pulisic’s excellent form has been stymied by fitness issues, and he has not contributed to a goal in his nine subsequent matches.

Nonetheless, as he has scored in three of his last six derbies, the USA international might become the first Milan player to net in both league fixtures against Inter since Kaka in the 2003-04 season.

Leao now stands as the Rossoneri’s leading scorer, having netted his ninth Serie A goal last weekend. However, the Nerazzurri will be without their key forward.

Inter’s captain and current Capocannoniere leader, Lautaro Martinez, is still out due to a calf injury, leading Chivu to select two from Françasco Pio Esposito, Marcus Thuram, and Ange-Yoan Bonny to lead the attack.

After making his first start in weeks during Tuesday’s cup draw, Calhanoglu should be ready to face his former club, looking to make amends for that earlier penalty miss this season.

Denzel Dumfries also returns after nearly four months out, while several players will resume starting roles after being rested midweek.

Yann Sommer and Nicolo Barella are among those expected to start, but Federico Dimarco stands out: he has been involved in 12 goals across 10 Serie A matches in this calendar year, which is at least double that of any other player.

AC Milan probable starting XI:

Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao

Inter Milan probable starting XI:

Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Esposito

The blue-and-black faction of Italy’s second city will be in festive spirits on Sunday evening – and likely longer – as Inter can effectively secure the Scudetto with an increasingly rare derby win.

Milan has managed to keep pace thus far, but their high-scoring opponents are overdue for a significant victory against top-four contenders and have ample motivation to secure one this weekend.