Time for the Derby della Madonnina again – one of the most intense, historically-rich and interesting football rivalries in the world. Milan will try to upset their fierce city rival Inter, with the stakes being a place in the Coppa Italia final. Although this is the first leg of the semi final bout it could set the tone and tip the scales in one or the other’s favor.
AC Milan Team News
Milan’s mini-resurgence was cut short by Napoli during the weekend, although it was a close game. In truth, the Rossoneri missed a penalty that could have made the result 2-2. Alas, it was not to be, and Milan is now 5 points adrift of the top 6 in Serie A with recent losses against direct competitors for the European spots like Bologna and Lazio and title contenders Napoli, making the situation a tough one for Sérgio Conceição. As it stands, Coppa Italia provides the best avenue for Milan to secure European football next season, but they must first overcome their arch-nemesis, Inter. Unfortunately for the Rossoneri, they have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 7 competitive fixtures across all competitions, but the good news is that they also haven’t failed to score in any game during that period.
Inter Team News
Inter’s campaign is stretched across 3 fronts – Serie A, UCL and Coppa Italia. The team has excellent chances to win Serie A this season, but is faced with a tough UCL draw – Bayern Munich. While Coppa Italia is also on the table as far as silverware goes, it might be sacrificed in favour of the other 2 competitions as fatigue and a tight schedule become serious issues for Simone Inzaghi. The fact that it is Milan of all teams might make this theory implausible. For the upcoming derby, Inter will have to heavily lean on their defensive stability as they have kept 4 clean sheets across their last 10 competitive fixtures. This has helped them immensely with grinding out wins, with Inzaghi’s team suffering just 1 loss in this period.
Head-to-Head-Games
The last 5 H2H games between Milan and Inter have produced interesting matches with a high number of goals scored. Four of those matches produced over 2.5 goals, while all of the most recent 5 games saw both teams scoring. In terms of victories, the bill is evenly split, with 2 wins for both Milan and Inter. However, Inter have not managed to secure a win in the derby in it’s last 3 editions.
AC Milan – Inter Betting Prediction
Despite the recent performances of both sides, a derby is a derby. One as heated as the Derby della Madonnina is sure to inspire both Milan and Inter to win it, regardless of the circumstances. Getting one over your bitter rival is always something to strive for.
I expect both sides to adopt that mentality and will pick both teams to score for this game. For Milan, Coppa Italia is the best chance they have to secure European football next season. While Inter is fighting on multiple fronts, they have not won against Milan in any of the last 3 derbies. With important games coming both domestically and on the European scene, I don’t think they will want to set off the tone for them with a loss against their city rival.
Thus, going for both teams to score here is a good option for me, given the circumstances of both and especially considering the H2H between Milan and Inter in recent years.
Betting Tip: Both Teams To Score: Yes
Bookmaker: Stake
Odds: 1.73
Stake
Place your bet on AC Milan – Inter at Stake