The semi-finals of the Coppa Italia kick off this week. On Tuesday, arch-rivals Milan and Inter go head-to-head at the San Siro.
The Derby della Madonnina foes are separated by just two points in the Serie A standings, with second-place Milan leading third-place Inter.
Calling all Rossoneri 🔴⚫️Prepare for another derby battle, #MilanInter awaits ⚔️#CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/sposLcOpW5— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 27, 2022
Calling all Rossoneri 🔴⚫️Prepare for another derby battle, #MilanInter awaits ⚔️#CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/sposLcOpW5
With first-place Napoli level with Milan on 57 points, both sides are still in with a genuine chance of securing the scudetto.
Having drawn 1-1 with Udinese last time out, Milan are currently enjoying a six-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
The Rossoneri have picked up three wins and three draws since losing to Spezia in mid-January, keeping three clean sheets along the way.
When you look at the bigger picture, Milan have lost just one of their previous 11 outings in all competitions – securing seven wins and three draws in the process.
Stefano Pioli’s men kicked off their Coppa Italia campaign with a 3-1 victory over Genoa before thrashing Lazio 4-0 to book their spot in the semi-finals.
As for Inter, they started the season in unstoppable form but have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks.
The reigning Serie A champions have managed to win just one of their last six encounters across all competitions, conceding over 1.5 goals on three occasions.
Having been held to a goalless draw by Genoa last time out, Inter head into Tuesday’s semi-final on a four-match winless run.
That said, Inter have made light work of their Coppa Italia opponents this season. After beating Empoli in the round of 16, they dispatched Roma 2-0 to advance to the last four.
Head-to-head: In early February, Milan came from behind to beat Inter 2-1 in Serie A. Olivier Giroud bagged a brace for the Rossoneri, while both sides had a man sent off.
That said, Inter have enjoyed more Derby della Madonnina success than Milan in recent times. Milan have won only two of the previous ten encounters.
Team news: Milan look set to be without the injured trio of Simon Kjaer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marko Lazetic on Tuesday.
On the flip side, Inter will be missing Robin Gosens and Joaquin Correa as the pair continue to recover from injury.
With the second leg scheduled for April 20, both sides are likely to approach the first leg with caution in order to keep themselves in the tie.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Milan and Inter will play out a low-scoring draw on Tuesday.