AC Milan v Inter: Milan derby preview, betting specials and history of the big game in Serie A
AC Milan and Internazionale face off at the San Siro this week and we look ahead to the game as well as looking back on some of the greatest Derby della Madonninas of all time.
This meeting between the Rossoneri and the Nerazzuri is arguably the most significant for a very long time with AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma labelling it a “Champions League play-off”.
A win for Inter would take them 11 points clear of AC Milan and all but finish their hopes of Champions League football. However, a win for AC Milan would leave them just five points behind their local rivals with Inter still to face Juventus and Lazio.
Sky Bet Match odds: AC Milan 17/10 Draw 11/5 Inter Milan 13/8
AC Milan come into this game after a 3-1 defeat to away to Juventus but the scoreline did not reflect the proceedings on the pitch. Milan outplayed Juventus for large parts of the game and can feel slightly aggrieved not to come away with at least a point. Paulo Dybala put the hosts in front before former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci headed in the equaliser from Calhanoglu’s corner. Bonucci was booed by the Juventus fans following his €42m move in the summer and he didn’t hold back with his celebration, gesticulating towards himself and knee-sliding in the corner of the pitch.
Juventus went on to snatch two late goals thanks to ten minutes of inspiration from Sami Khedira when he picked out Juan Cuadrado for Juve’s second and struck home from inside the penalty area to put the Old Lady out of sight.
Inter enter this game off the back of a comfortable 3-0 victory over relegation threatened Hellas Verona. Mauro Icardi helped himself to two goals putting him just a further two behind current top scorer Ciro Immobile. Icardi has been the subject of much speculation from Real Madrid but Inter are confident he will sign a contract extension in the summer.
Sky Bet Milan derby Price Boosts
Manager Luciano Spalletti is expected to name an unchanged 11 for the short trip to the San Siro, which is also where Inter play their home games.
The betting suggests a tight affair with the bookies unable to choose a clear favourite. Their loss to Juventus was Milan’s first defeat in Serie A this calendar year and just the second time they have concede two or more goals in that period. Inter will likely approach this game in a slightly negative manner hoping to keep things tight for long periods. Spalletti’s men are masters at nullifying their opponents' attack and will look to soak up pressure from Milan before hitting them on the counter-attack. For all AC’s work ethic, they do lack quality in the final third.
AC Milan v Inter Milan (Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg 2004/05)
Despite playing host to some of the greatest players to grace the game over the last 30 years, this infamous Champions League tie will not be remembered for the extreme talent on display. The Internazionale team included payers such as Javier and Cristiano Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Juan Sebastian Veron.
Rossoneri's entire 11 could all have their own individual episode of Football’s Greatest with players like Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Cafu and Andriy Shevchenko.
AC Milan won the first leg 2-0 with goals from Jaap Stam and Shevchenko leaving Inter needing three goals to progress. The atmosphere inside the San Siro was electric and increased furthermore just two minutes in when the referee missed an off the ball head-butt planted on Marco Materazzi by AC striker Shevchenko. Materazzi had a certain flare for goading opposing players into this sort of thing.
Not long after the Ukrainian picked up the ball on the right hand side of the pitch, shifted it onto his left foot and curled a wonderful effort past the helpless Francesco Toldo leaving Inter in need of four goals.
The second half saw Inter bring on Obafemi Martins who troubled the Milan defence with his blistering pace.
Esteban Cambiasso then rose from a corner to head in an equalising goal for Inter, only for it to be ruled out for a push on AC goalkeeper Dida. The decision was soft and sent the San Siro into pandemonium.
Shortly after missiles started being thrown onto the pitch. Whisky bottles, umbrellas, bottles of water also came on before the flares began to rain down on Dida’s penalty area. The Brazilian stood his ground and was struck on the shoulder by a flare from the Inter ultras. German referee Markus Merk instructed all player to leave the pitch. The game resumed shortly after but more flares engulfed the pitch and the match was subsequently abandoned, with AC Milan awarded the victory.
AC Milan v Inter Milan (Coppa Italia Quarter-Final 1st Leg 1999-2000)
A game in which you only need to look at the scoresheet to realise how much quality was on show. Inter had recently acquired world record signing Cristian “Bobo” Vieri from Lazio in the summer for a fee of €49m and he was proving to be worth every penny. The Nerazzurri had also completed the signings of Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Baggio and Ivan Cordoba to add to their already illustrious squad.
AC Milan were still transitioning from the great team of 1993-94 into the fantastic team of the 2000s when the two sides met for this Coppa Italia tie. This was Andriy Shevchenko’s first season for the Rossoneri after joining from Dynamo Kiev. He went on to finish as the league top scorer but Milan could only manage a third place finish.
“Bobo” Vieri smashed Inter in front after 28 minutes with a fantastic over the shoulder volley from the left hand side of the pitch before Shevchenko equalised with a header just before half-time.
The second half saw Inter introduce 21-year-old Arian Mutu who met a corner 10 minutes after the restart to restore Inter's lead.
A minute later however, Shevchenko picked up a loose ball in his own half before knocking a 30-yard cross-field pass to Jose Mari who worked the ball to Demetrio Albertini to pick out Shevchenko. The Ukranian chested the ball and coolly slotted home for the equaliser.
The game was eventually won by a moment of brilliance from a footballing master. Clarence Seedorf stands over a free-kick 25 yards from goal. He runs up and whips the ball ferociously into the top corner leaving the goalkeeper helpless and winning the game for Inter.
Inter Milan v AC Milan (Serie A 1989-99)
Often cited as one of, if not the greatest club team of all time, Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan would go on to win their second consecutive European Cup this season. The squad included players such as Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard.
Despite being reigning champions, Inter were struggling domestically and in Europe despite boasting such players as Jurgen Klinsmann and Lothar Matthaus amongst their ranks.
This game was a demonstration of the strength AC had over their local rivals. Despite the magnificent trio of van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard, the player that shines in this game is the ever fantastic AC Milan captain, Franco Baresi. Van Basten’s opener is created by Baresi moving forward to collect a loose ball, dribbling past the Inter midfield and picking out the Dutch forward with a perfect pass. All that was left was for van Basten to finish low into the corner of the goal.
The next goal is as much like a Diego Costa goal as you are ever likely to see. Diego (they even share the same first name) Fuser picks up the ball outside the Inter penalty area before bulldozing his way past two defenders and smashing low into the net.
If there was any doubt as to Milan’s supremacy it was soon put to rest after a wonderful defence splitting through-ball found Daniele Massaro who tucked home the Rossoneri’s third goal.
Maybe not the greatest contest of all time but in terms of quality, this game is right up there.
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