All square following a tense first leg, old foes Inter Milan and AC Milan meet for the fifth and final time this season when they conclude their Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday.
Both beaten at the weekend, the city rivals reconvene at San Siro for another Derby della Madonnina, with the winner set for a place in next month’s final.
Match preview
Extending their winless streak against Milan to four matches, once-dominant Inter had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg, as ‘Magic’ Mike Maignan put on a masterclass between the posts.
Although Tammy Abraham’s clinical finish was cancelled out by a classic Hakan Calhanoglu strike – much to the delight of the ex-Milan man, who gleefully celebrated scoring against his former club – the Rossoneri’s captain kept the scores level with a series of saves.
So, Inter are now keen to reinstate their derby dominance and stay on track for a treble, as they chase success in Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia – not to mention this summer’s new Club World Cup.
The Nerazzurri won six straight derbies between January 2023 and April 2024, but Milan have bitten back with two wins and two draws this season, so reaching Rome may not be a straightforward task.
Simone Inzaghi’s side set up this semi by beating Udinese in the last 16, then knocking out their coach’s old club Lazio; if they prevail on Wednesday they will surely meet Bologna at Stadio Olimpico next month, with the Rossoblu leading Empoli 3-0 in the other semi-final.
That would provide a tough final hurdle. Fresh from their continental exploits, having seen off a Bayern Munich fightback to reach the Champions League’s final four, Inter were brought back down to earth in Bologna last weekend.
Returning to their Scudetto defence on Sunday evening, they were beaten by a dramatic last-gasp strike at Stadio Dall’Ara, leaving them level on 71 points with sole challengers Napoli in a tight title race.
With a 13-game undefeated streak now ended, Inter’s nosediving away form will cause Inzaghi some concern, but they now head home to San Siro for a clash with familiar foes.
While the Nerazzurri have lifted the cup in two of the past three seasons, Milan’s sole Coppa success for almost half a century came 22 years ago, so the stakes are even higher in the red-and-black side of Italy’s second city.
They entered this year’s edition at the last-16 stage due to European commitments, starting with December’s 6-1 demolition of bogey team Sassuolo, before eliminating Roma as Abraham bagged a brace against his parent club.
Despite their woes in Serie A, the Rossoneri have already claimed some silverware this term, fighting back to beat their city rivals in the Supercoppa Italiana final just days after ex-Inter player Sergio Conceicao was installed as head coach.
However, such a glorious start to his reign has since tailed off, with Milan lying as low as ninth in the league standings after another top-flight setback on Sunday.
Losing to Lombardy neighbours Atalanta BC for the fourth time in five meetings, they were beaten 1-0 on home turf, effectively ending any slim hopes of Champions League qualification – in fact, winning the cup surely represents their best route back into Europe.
Milan have now managed just a single clean sheet across their last 10 home games, and in spite of Conceicao’s recent switch to a three-man defence they are still searching for consistency.
Furthermore, with five games to go in Serie A, the Rossoneri’s deficit to Inter stands at 20 points. Yet, such matters can often be forgotten in the Derby della Madonnina.
Inter’s hectic schedule does not relent, and Simone Inzaghi must select his team carefully, given Saturday’s crucial clash with Roma will be followed by the first leg of their Champions League semi against Barcelona.
Though impending suspensions for Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan only apply in Serie A, Inzaghi will again be without Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski due to injury, while the presence of Marcus Thuram is in serious doubt.
In the latter’s absence, Joaquin Correa started alongside captain Lautaro Martinez in Bologna, but Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi are also contenders. After missing the first leg, Martinez still needs one more goal to become only the third Inter player to net 10 against Milan across all competitions.
Meanwhile, the Rossoneri also have several strikers to choose from, as Santiago Gimenez recently returned to full training and made a late cameo against Atalanta.
He should be named on the bench, as Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic again battle it out to lead a new-look three-man attack: Milan manager Sergio Conceicao has switched to a 3-4-3 setup over the past couple of weeks.
Still missing full-backs Kyle Walker and Emerson Royal – as well as Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Conceicao should persist with Alex Jimenez on the right flank.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Taremi, Martinez
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Abraham, Leao
