The game between Inter and AC Milan tonight will be heavily influenced by some key battles that happen across the pitch, with Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali ready to renew their duel.
As today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) writes, Barella and Tonali might just be ‘the faces of this Champions League semi-final’. The latter has the most shirts sold among Milan fans, the former is second only to Lautaro at Inter.
It’s the heart that beats in a game like this, with the two Italy internationals asked to perform different tasks that make their respective sides tick at a rhythm which they often dictate.
Barella a week ago played with fantastic quality and also covered the pitch with his work rate. He kept the team going at the start of the second half, during the moment of greatest difficulty for the Nerazzurri.
Before the game, Tonali remarked that Milan ‘will go on the field to change our season’ and he comes into it off the back of hitting the post in consecutive games. That would all be forgotten if the next shot goes in and it were a huge goal in the tie.
The one from six days ago still hurts, because it certainly would have given a different feeling to the Rossoneri’s 2-0 first leg defeat and also to the chances of qualifying tonight, but it must be said that Tonali was the last to surrender in the first leg.
Barella found it easier in the reverse fixture than his counterpart, who had difficulties with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but it remains that he and Tonali are the thermometers of this derby, the two midfielders.
If Pioli’s team manage to keep Inter in their half of the pitch, it will be above all because Tonali will have managed to dominate the centre of the pitch, going beyond the pace of play of Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu.
