Milan-Inter is a match valid for the first leg of the Champions League semifinals and is played Wednesday at 9 p.m.: free-to-air TV, probable formations, predictions.
Milan back at the center of European football, 20 years later. Two decades have passed since Milan and Inter faced each other in a historic Champions League semifinal.
A double challenge that kept the city of Milan in suspense for a whole week: the Rossoneri, then winners of the cup with big ears, won thanks to the infamous away goals rule – the two matches ended in a draw, 0-0 and 1-1 – that had already been shelved for a couple of seasons. In the shadow of the Madonnina today they are ready to relive those priceless sensations that only a Euroderby of this kind can give: up for grabs is a ticket to the Istanbul final, where the Nerazzurri or Rossoneri will have to measure themselves against the winner of the super-challenge between battleships, Real Madrid and Manchester City. In any case, an Italian will savor again the joy of playing a final of the most important international competition, six years after the last time (Juventus defeated in Cardiff by Real Madrid). As it happens in every stracittadina, however, at stake is not “only” the passage of the round, but much more, considering the age-old and bitter rivalry between the two clubs in Milan. Two matches, in short, that will remain carved – for better or worse – in the collective imagination of the respective fans. Who are no longer in their skins.
Milan is back in history
Whatever the outcome of the derby may be, Stefano Pioli and Simone Inzaghi can be satisfied with bringing Milan and Inter back to play a Champions League semifinal.
image-Giroud and Bastoni
They succeeded against all odds and by taking advantage of a draw that allowed them to avoid all the most insidious obstacles, finishing on the other side of the scoreboard. This is not to diminish the excellent work of the two coaches: AC Milan edged it out by a narrow margin against Tottenham and then had the merit of defusing Napoli, conceding only one goal in four games; Inter, on the other hand, tamed the two tough Portuguese sides, Porto and Benfica, who had often given Italian teams sorrow in the past. The balance, as in any derby that can be called such, is great and there is no clear favorite. But in the last two weeks the inertia seems to have shifted on the side of the Nerazzurri, who arrive at the cup extracittadina with some more certainty. Inter have regained their best form right at the crucial moment of the season: in the league they have won four games in a row and have taken back fourth place on authority; Inzaghi has also done well in the Coppa Italia, eliminating Juventus and detaching a pass for the final at the Olimpico in Rome with Fiorentina. Last Saturday they got the better of Jose Mourinho’s Roma (0-2) while keeping their goal unbeaten for the fourth time in their last five matches. And the infirmary has completely emptied.
Opposite moods for Pioli and Inzaghi
The same cannot be said of AC Milan, which after the feat with Napoli lost ground to its league rivals. And today they would be out of the Champions League.
Pioli and Inzaghi
Pioli’s team has yes beaten Lecce and Lazio – on Saturday it had no problem taming Sarri’s biancocelesti – but in between there are also draws, moreover reached in extremis, against Cremonese and Roma. A discontinuity that, to be fair, has always distinguished the Diavolo this season and that risks keeping it out of the top four (Milan is now fifth, -2 from its Nerazzurri cousins). Against Lazio, moreover, the Emilia coach lost Leao, his best man, to an adductor elongation: the Portuguese will definitely miss the first of the two derbies. This will be the fourth stracittadina of the season: never had so many been played in the past. Milan won the first leg in the league, at the end of a pyrotechnic 3-2, while the other two were won by Inter. Lautaro and his teammates triumphed in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, overwhelming the Rossoneri 3-0, and in the return leg in Serie A (1-0): the Argentine striker himself decided it. IEurope, finally, the precedents arrident to Milan, which, in addition to 2003, also ousted Inter two years later, in 2005, winning both the first leg (2-0) and the return leg (3-0 forfeit).
Milan-Inter: the latest news on the lineups
For Pioli, the hopes of having Leao back already in the first leg match are very low. The Portuguese outfielder will undergo checks on the morning of the match but will be 90% unavailable. Heavily absent for Milan, who won against Napoli thanks precisely to his deadly breaks. Kjaer and Tomori should play in defense, while we will see Bennacer again in a more advanced position as has been the case for a month now. It will be the Algerian’s turn to support Giroud’s only forward along with Saelemaekers and Brahim Diaz.
More abundance instead for Inzaghi, who in his five-man midfield will be able to choose two between Brozovic, Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan. On the outside lanes Dumfries and Dimarco. The defense, with Skriniar out, will be held by Darmian, Acerbi and Bastoni. Doubts, finally, as well in attack where Dzeko and Lukaku will compete for a starting shirt next to Lautaro.
The Prediction
Let’s imagine a match dominated by tension, as it was also 20 years ago. With the field factor practically zeroed out and without the away goals rule anymore, we will basically witness two dry finals, two chess matches that are difficult to read. Lots of balance, in short. Especially in the first leg, where neither will try to give away a significant advantage ahead of the return. In this first round, therefore, the total goals could be less than three, a sign that, by the way, has occurred in the last eight games featuring the Rossoneri. More generally, Inter is coming better to the double date and should be able to avoid defeat.
The probable formations of Milan-Inter
- MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Kjær, Hernández; Tonali, Krunić; Saelemaekers, Bennacer, Brahim Díaz; Giroud.
- INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Lukaku.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1