AC Milan take on Inter in the Derby della Madonnina at San Siro tonight hoping to put an end to a five-game losing streak against their city rivals.
A significant derby awaits as the Nerazzurri have the opportunity to clinch the Scudetto with a win. The Rossoneri will do everything to make sure this doesn’t happen, but their derby record is far from great. This has led to reports that Stefano Pioli – who is under pressure – will make some radical tactical changes.
If Milan are to stop Inter celebrating, then they will have to stop Lautaro Martínez, something that is likely to fall under the responsibilities of Fikayo Tomori. The Argentine is Inter’s third-top scorer in the history of the derby in all competitions, and could become the fifth player to reach double figures in goals in matches between Milan and Inter.
Tomori meanwhile has at times been the glue that has held the Rossoneri together at the back. He was not available for the 5-1 defeat earlier in the season and the scoreline was reflective of a disastrous display, so big improvements are needed.
During the five derby defeats in 2023 there was the accusation that Inter’s three central defenders – which almost always had Francesco Acerbi as the middle – found it too easy to deal with a rather static Olivier Giroud, and thus Pioli is trying a new roll of the dice.
Thus, it is expected that Rafael Leao will lead the line this evening and he will have quite a specific mission: look for space in behind and try to surprise the opponents with speed, asking different questions of Acerbi and co. He scored a brace in Milan’s last derby win in September 2022.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to keep his position as the starting attacking midfielder and he faces two quite important tasks in his individual duel with Hakan Calhanoglu.
The Turk would love to get one over on his former club and he is the metronome of Simone Inzaghi’s side in the deeper midfield role, so Loftus-Cheek must disrupt him in the build-up phase while also pinning him with smart runs off Leao into the box.
One player who always seems to be a thorn in the side of Milan is Federico Dimarco, the boyhood Inter fan who would love to celebrate winning the title tonight. He will face a man who is under pressure in Davide Calabria.
The two Italians are supporters of the clubs they represent so the fixture means that bit more, but Dimarco’s late far post runs and his service from the left side have caused the Diavolo a lot of issues, so much so that Yunus Musah seems to have been drafted in to provide extra cover.
Finally, we come to the battle between the two creative forces in each team: Tijjani Reijnders for Milan and Nicolo Barella for Inter. Reijnders should start in the double pivot alongside Yacine Adli and will have an important role in moving the ball quickly and with quality as usual.
Barella meanwhile is at the heart of a lot of the good things that Inzaghi’s side create down the centre, as his 18 goal contributions across all competitions this season show.
