For AC Milan, it could be the only way to qualify for Europe.
For Inter Milan, it’s the least important of the three competitions that the Nerazzurri are still competing in this season.
The rival clubs are in completely opposite forms entering the first leg of their Italian Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
Milan was virtually eliminated from contesting for the Champions League spots with a 2-1 loss at Napoli in Serie A on Sunday that left the Rossoneri in ninth place — nine points behind fourth-place Bologna, which faces Empoli in the other semifinal on Tuesday.
Winning the Italian Cup guarantees a Europa League spot.
It’s very frustrating, because we didn’t deserve this defeat,” Milan coach Sergio Conceicao said, referring to how Milan nearly equalized with some late fight at Napoli. “We want to change the outlook and on Wednesday we have the chance to do so.
Milan’s 2-1 win in Serie A in September served as a wakeup call for defending champion Inter, which now leads the Italian league. Then in January Milan came back from two goals down for a 3-2 win over Inter in the Italian Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. The most recent meeting was a 1-1 draw in Serie A last month.
Milan hasn’t won much else of importance this season, having been eliminated from the Champions League playoffs by Feyenoord last month.
