The big game is here. Milan will face off with their arch rivals Inter on Sunday night in Serie A, in what will be an immensely important match for both teams’ aspirations this season.
Date: Sunday, October 15
Time: 20:45 CET
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milano
TV Guide: BT Sport 1, Sky Sport 1 HD, Premium Sport HD
The international break is now over, with one of the season highlights coming up this Sunday – the Derby della Madonnina. Milan are looking to collect all three points after losing in two consecutive Serie A games against Sampdoria at Roma, but will face an in-form Inter side in a sold out San Siro.
TEAM NEWS
Coach Vincenzo Montella is expected to continue with the 3-5-2 formation in the derby on Sunday evening.
The defensive trio will be, unless anything surprising happens, Musacchio alongside captain Leonardo Bonucci and Alessio Romagnoli. Fabio Borini is expected to start in the right wing-back role after impressing against Roma two weeks ago, while Ricardo Rodriguez will be on the left flank.
In the midfield, meanwhile, Hakan Calhanoglu will be unavailable and thus Bonaventura will take his place alongside Biglia and Franck Kessie. Newly-renewed Suso will return to the lineup and is expected to play as an attacking midfielder, supporting the lone striker Andre Silva, who returned from international duty in great form.
Inter, on the other hand, have a more clear idea of their formation and lineup. Their back line has been almost unchanged throughout the season, while in the midfield former Fiorentina players Matias Vecino and Borja Valero are expected to start.
The attacking force has also been almost the same in previous matches, with Candreva, Joao Mario and Perisic supporting captain Mauro Icardi. Marcelo Brozovic will miss out through injury after impressing at Benevento.
Milan Probable XI (3-5-2): G. Donnarumma; Musacchio, Bonucci, Romagnoli; Borini, Kessie, Biglia, Bonaventura, Rodriguez; Suso; Andre Silva.
Inter Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Skriniar, Nagatomo; Vecino, Borja Valero; Candreva, Joao Mario, Perisic; Icardi.
OPPONENTS
Inter have been in fine form so far this season. Luciano Spalletti’s side are unbeaten in Serie A and sit in third place with 19 points, despite not exactly convincing performances.
They will be looking to extend their lead on city rivals Milan, which currently sits at seven points, however the Nerazzurri will also have an eye on the next game against Napoli. Two fixtures for Inter with huge implications.
LAST TIME OUT
Milan’s last match was the aforementioned game against Roma before the international break. The Rossoneri were close to achieving a good result, but Edin Dzeko’s goal in the 70th minute ended the game. Florenzi’s 2-0 goal was the nail on the coffin late on.
Our city rivals, meanwhile, defeated Serie A newcomers Benevento away from home 2-1, with Brozovic scoring both goals. However, The Croatian is unavailable for the derby due to an injury he sustained during international duty.
KEY PLAYERS
Milan’s point of reference this Sunday will most definitely be Suso. The Spaniard did not play against Roma and will surely be fired up for the derby. It is also worth noting that in the first Derby della Madonnina last season Suso scored a brace in a 2-2 draw. That said, he should be present in Montella’s XI, with Andre Silva being the perfect companion.
Inter’s main man has and always will be Mauro Icardi, who is the Nerrazzurri’s best and most dangerous player. In the last derby he broke his derby curse and scored his very first goal against Milan and will definitely be hungry for more on Sunday.
PREDICTION
The derby is always a difficult fixture to predict. It is not always about quality and form, but on many occasions desire and spirit are key factors for success in a game like this.
For me personally, a draw seems to be the most probable result, but also a result that doesn’t really solve too much for Milan. On the other hand Inter, I assume, would not mind the same result as in the previous two derbies.
