A spot in the Coppa Italia grand final is up for grabs as Inter and Milan go head-to-head in the return leg of their mouth-watering semi-final tie. All is to play for at the Giuseppe Meazza following an uneventful goalless draw in the first leg back in March.
Both sides will take the field in high spirits. Inter brushed lowly Spezia aside with a comprehensive 3-1 away Serie A win on Friday, while Milan claimed a comfortable 2-0 home triumph over relegation-threatened Genoa.
The two teams are going toe-to-toe in an enthralling Serie A title race, with a mere point separating the sides heading into the season finale. However, the electrifying Scudetto run-in will take a back seat over midweek in favour of bragging rights.
Inter and Milan are both two wins away from clinching the second most significant piece of silverware in Italy. Arch-rivals will lock horns for the 27th time in the Coppa Italia and it’s time to preview the game.
Match Preview
Inter
After a brace of 1-1 draws in mid-March, Inter have strung together three Serie A victories by an aggregate score of 6-1. With their confidence ahead of this fixture boosted by a stellar nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W5, D4), the Nerazzurri will feel entitled to the grand final appearance.
In reality, things are looking quite different. Inter have suffered elimination in their last four Coppa Italia semi-finals. In fact, no other side have lost more Coppa Italia last-four ties than the Nerazzurri (19).
All that could be forgiven if Simone Inzaghi’s team could only defy their three-game H2H form as nominal hosts (W1, L2). The clean-sheet theme could play a crucial role. Indeed, five of Inter’s last six competitive home matches have seen one side fail to find the net.
What’s more, Inter lament negative overall H2H stakes in the Coppa Italia (W8, D8, L10). They have progressed from five of their eight knock-out meetings with Milan (L5), though two of those three successes have come in the last two two-legged ties.
Milan
Milan are riding on a three-game unbeaten run against Inter in all competitions (W1, D2), their longest such streak since 2005. Stefano Pioli’s men head into this meeting amid a purple patch, having gone unbeaten in their last 13 competitive outings (W7, D6), mainly thanks to a rock-solid backline.
The Rossoneri have kept a clean sheet across their last seven matches in competitive action while they only conceded four times during the abovementioned 13-game sequence. Though they’ve been tough to crack open, scoring could prove a genuine issue for Milan.
Before putting unanswered goals past Genoa last time out, Milan had netted one goal or fewer in seven consecutive fixtures. However, they’ve been nothing short of impressive in the Coppa Italia of late, with no defeat in their last eight games in the competition (W4, D4).
Though Milan will only be nominal visitors in this encounter, they can draw confidence from their high-flying away form. You have to go back to November to find their last away from home, all competitions included. Indeed, they’re unbeaten in ten successive road outings (W7, D3).
Inter vs Milan Team News
Inter head coach Inzaghi has very few injury concerns on his hands. Indispensable centre-back Alessandro Bastoni is the only injury doubt in the Nerazzurri camp, though he should pass fit to feature in another highly anticipated Derby della Madonnina.
In the meantime, Milan will be without three first-team stars, including Alessandro Florenzi, Simon Kjaer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Captain Alessio Romagnoli is a doubt, but he would not make Pioli’s starting XI anyway, as Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori are destined for another start.
Inter Potential Starting XI (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ivan Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.
Milan Potential Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Junior Messias, Franck Kessie, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.