The second chapter of Derby di Milano on Saturday is slated for Saturday after playing out a draw in the earlier fixture.
Inter, having been doubted by many at the start of the season due to the sales of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, currently sit top of the table. They are four points clear with a game in hand over nearest rivals Napoli. Having suffered only one defeat so far, Simone Inzaghi’s men have been in supreme form with five wins in their last six league games.
📸 | TRAINING
Inter preparing for the #DerbyMilano 💪
Check out the photos here 👉 https://t.co/eN9qOoxv38 pic.twitter.com/5X4c41TM0G
— Inter (@Inter_en) February 1, 2022
The strike duo of Lautaro Martinez (11 goals, two assists) and Edin Dzeko (nine goals, three goals) have spearheaded the title charge with former Milan man Hakan Calhanoglu another key contributor (six goals, seven assists). Inter know that a win over their city rivals will help immensely in opening up an even bigger gap between the two sides as the chase for the league looks set to go down to the wire.
AC Milan have stuttered in recent times, which has seen them fall down into third place. A shock defeat to Spezia at home was followed by a dull draw against Juventus. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has truly been defying the ravages of time and at 40-years-old is the leading goal scorer with eight goals and also two assists.
Stepping things up ahead of Saturday's showdown ⚔️#InterMilan #SempreMilan
Powered by @BitMEX pic.twitter.com/SAy1H5Qhpt
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 1, 2022
He has found able support in Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez, with the French leftback having another superb season. Stefano Piolo knows that he can ill-afford another wobble for a third consecutive match and nothing less than a win will do. A disappointing Champions League exit has to be put aside if the Rossoneri are gunning to wrest the league crown away from Inter.
TEAM NEWS
Joaquin Correa and new signing Robin Gosens are both out due to injuries. Lautaro Martinez should start, having returned from international football with a scoring performance.
PROBABLE LINE-UP: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Martinez
Ibrahimovic should be fit to start after a niggly injury with Franck Kessie having also returned from AFCON duty. Fode Ballo-Toure and Fikayo Tomori remain sidelined.
PROBABLE LINE-UP: Maignan; Calabria, Romagnoli, Kalulu, Hernandez; Tonali, Kessie; Rebic, Diaz, Leao; Ibrahimovic
GAMECHANGERS
A former player coming back to haunt his old club is a familiar script in football and one that could play out tomorrow. Calhanoglu left Milan last summer over contract disputes and has been on fire since joining Inter. The attacking playmaker can operate brilliantly as a box-to-box midfielder who can also drift wide when necessary.
Hakan Calhanoglu appreciation tweet:
⚽️ 5 goals
🅰️ 4 assistsBeen an incredible spark for Inter. Shaping up to be a great season ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/UVNh3kBSMV
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) December 4, 2021
Calhanoglu’s accurate passing and set-piece expertise is an added bonus as Roma found out when he scored direct from a corner. The Turkish international has already scored against Milan, and has been a menace against most other teams. If he can get a little bit of space to play his natural game and deliver some fantastic crosses, Inter will be in a good position to score.
Milan also have creative players up their sleeves and none a better dribbler than Leao. The Portuguese attacker primarily plays on the left flank but can also double up as a striker through the middle. His six goals have already matched the tally from his two seasons and looks well set to make a new personal record by the end of the current campaign.
🥁🥁🥁🥁
Congratulations, @RafaeLeao7, your lovely lob has been voted the best goal from January! 🏅Il vostro gol rossonero preferito di gennaio è stato lo splendido pallonetto di Rafa! 🏅#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/uQv3KqP4rl
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 1, 2022
He will be up against Matteo Darmian who is not too adept on the defensive end of things. Given how Inter have a three man defence, Leao should have spaces once he can isolate the centre backs. That will allow the other attackers to take up their positions and open up chances of scoring more regularly. Leao’s pace will also be key in putting the fear into defenders and giving shooting opportunities.
PREDICTIONS
It is expected to be a closely fought affair like the previous encounter was. Inter have superior firepower but Milan can be dangerous in their own right. FootTheBall predicts another 1-1 draw between the two arch rivals.
