Milan derby: Inter Milan vs AC Milan - Preview
The two sides will fight for the bragging rights of the Italian capital when they lock horns on Sunday.
Serie A this weekend will have some truly spectacular matches for the spectators. The famous Milan derby will be played at San Siro while Roma and Juventus will go head-to-head in yet another mouth watering game.
Derby della Madonnina or more commonly known as the Milan derby is one of the most anticipated football matches in the world. The first Milan derby of this season takes place on Sunday, and it finds defending champions Inter Milan in an unfamiliar position. Inter enter the game in fourth place in the Serie A table, three points adrift of rivals AC Milan, who sit on top of the table for the first time in two years.
Benitez’s side has recorded just a single victory from their last four league games and drawn last two games against Brescia and Lecce which happen to be two relegation candidates. Milan, meanwhile sitting top of the table with a 3-1 win over Palermo on Wednesday, enter the match in rich vein of form with six wins from their last seven games in the league.
Nerazzuri are a complete mess at this point in time. With as many as eight first team regulars on the treatment table, things aren’t looking that bright for the reigning Italian and European champions.
Team news:
Maximiliano Allegri will have to do without the young Brazilian star, Alexandre Pato who was injured in the match against Palermo, in which he also scored a goal. Pato is Milan's leading marksman with six goals in eight league games, but he sustained a thigh injury in Wednesday’s win and will be out for six weeks.
Veteran striker, Filippo Inzaghi is battling a knee problem that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the season.
Inter have injury crisis of their own as the club was dealt a huge blow last weekend when defender Walter Samuel suffered a knee injury which rules him out for the rest of the season. Dutchman Wesley Sneijder is hoping that he will be available for selection after he revealed that he was battling a case of anaemia that forced him to miss the match with Lecce.
On a positive note, the return of Argentine striker Diego Milito, who scored in the 1-1 draw with Lecce in midweek, will add much needed fire power to the squad.
Milan look to aim high:
The quality of players that was added over the summer is now showing. Even though Milan lead the Serie A charts, their performances have not been Champions like. Indeed, the club has taken advantage of the slip-ups made by the other Scudetto contenders.
Owing much to the highly competitive nature of Serie A, the top six sides are separated by exactly six points. A single bad performance at this point in time has the tendency to disrupt the Rossoneri momentum.
The derby could not have come at a better time for Allegri’s side. Nerazzuri are on a slide with a terrible injury crisis while Rossoneri are on the rise following years of mediocrity. Also, a win against arch rivals will catalyse the Rossoneri ambition and thus, this game is more than just three points for the former European and Italian champions.
Player to watch: Samuel Eto’o
Eto’o is the Nerazzuri top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions.
Prediction: Inter Milan 2 AC Milan 2
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