AC Milan Vs Inter: Preview and Prediction

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A blockbuster semi-final between neighbours Inter and AC Milan awaits!

The semi-final of this season’s UEFA Champions League has thrown a blockbuster fixture between AC Milan and Inter. The two teams share the famous San Siro Stadium and the tie may prove to be the last time that they go against each other in UCL at the famous stadium.

With both teams under threat of missing some important players, the match might prove just as close as it appears on paper.

Current Form

Inter is coming into the semi-final on the back of four consecutive league wins including a 6-0 scoreline against Hellas Verona, riding on braces from Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez. Inter last lost a game against Monza and will be full of confidence heading into this clash as well. 

On the other hand, Milan is also unbeaten in the last four Serie A fixtures and also heads into the game off the back of a 2-0 win against Lazio after goals from Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez.

Head to Head record

Despite the fact that Milan is the more successful team in UCL with 7 trophies, it is Inter who holds the bragging rights when it comes to the overall record. 

The two teams have played against each other a total of 218 times. Out of these, Inter has won 80 matches while Milan has come out on top 71 times with 67 matches ending as a draw. In the Champions League, the two teams have met 4 times before with Milan winning twice and the other two matches ending in draws.

Their first set of meetings was in the 2002-03 Champions League semi-final, which produced two draws and ended with Milan winning on away goals. The second meeting was in the 2004-05 UCL quarter-final, which saw AC Milan winning the tie 5-0 on aggregate.

Team News

AC Milan will look in the direction of Olivier Giroud to score the goals

For Milan, the biggest cause of concern is Rafael Leao, who picked up a muscle strain in the victory against Lazio. Manager Stefano Poli claimed that Leao would undergo an evaluation before the game to decide his status for the match. If deemed unfit, Alexis Saelemaekers can be expected to start.

Young Italian midfielder Tommaso Pobega is also injured but might start on the bench. Poli has preferred Brahim Diaz over Messias in recent games and that trend can be expected to continue.

For Inter, Simone Inzaghi rested three key players in the form of Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the match against Roma. Romelu Lukaku has also hit form at the right time as he scored against Roma but it is unclear who will be the starting striker alongside Martinez as of yet.

Inter is also missing the services of Milan Skriniar and Robin Gosens, while Danilo D’Ambrosio can be expected to return to the bench after a muscle injury.

Predicted Starting Lineups

AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Simon Kjær, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Rade Krunic; Alexis Saelemaekers, Ismael Bennacer, Brahim Diaz; Olivier Giroud.

Inter Milan (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Çalhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko

Prediction

Both teams come into this match off the back of wins although Inter are currently on a terrific run. They have also had comparable domestic seasons and the tie might come down to individual moments.

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