AC Milan and Inter face off in the first leg of the semi-final of the Coppa Italia tonight at San Siro, with both sides looking to put an end to a poor patch of form.
In many ways the chance to focus on a different competition might well be a welcome one for the Rossoneri, and a two-legged affair against city rivals Inter beckons. You can read our pre-match preview here, while below are the best stats ahead of the game…
➤ Milan have progressed or won the trophy in five of their eight Coppa Italia meetings with Inter in the knockout stages. However, Inter have won five of their last eight matches against the Rossoneri in the competition (D1, L2), including the last one (January 26th, 2021), 2-1 via a Christian Eriksen free-kick in the 97th minute.
➤ Inter have found the net in each of their last nine meetings with Milan in all competitions (they last enjoyed a longer run in November 1997 with 12 in a row), winning six of these games (D1 L2).
➤ Milan are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches against Inter across the Coppa Italia, Champions League and Super Cup (W4 D3). Milan’s loss percentage against the Nerazzurri is 38% in Serie A but drops to 27% in cup games.
➤ Milan have drawn 11 of their 17 Coppa Italia semi-final first legs – they have won only two of those matches (L4): 2-1 against Inter on June 23rd, 1985, and 1-0 against Alessandria on January 26th, 2016, thanks to a Mario Balotelli goal.
➤ Inter have been eliminated in each of their last four Coppa Italia semi-finals, after progressing from each of the previous six: Inter have lost the most matches at this stage of the competition (19).
➤ Milan have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 17 Coppa Italia games, with no side registering more since the 2017/18 campaign (11 also for Juventus).
➤ Inter’s last eight Coppa Italia goals have been scored by seven different players; Alexis Sanchez is the only player to have scored two in that time.
➤ Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud are the two Serie A players with the most goals scored at a single Stadium in all competitions in 2022: six goals each at the Meazza.
➤ Alexis Sanchez is the only Serie A player to have scored in four different competitions this season: he has found the net in his last two Coppa Italia appearances while no Inter player has scored in three in a row in the last eight campaigns.
➤ Ivan Perisic has been involved in seven goals against Milan for Inter (two goals, five assists), against no other side has he managed more in all competitions (also seven against Chievo and Fiorentina).
