AC Milan vs Inter Milan: 5 players to watch out for | Serie A 2020-21
In a top-of-the-table clash in the Italian Serie A, league leaders Inter Milan take on local rivals AC Milan in the latest instalment of the Derby Della Madonnina on Sunday.
The 'hosts' AC Milan are currently on a dry spell, picking up only two wins in their last five matches in all competitions. In this period, Stefano Pioli’s men fell to a humbling 3-0 defeat at home to Atalanta before losing against Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
In that latter game, AC Milan's star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off in the second half for violent conduct before Christian Eriksen's late free-kick sent Inter Milan to the semi-finals.
AC Milan quickly moved on from that defeat, though, picking up wins over Bologna and Crotone. But the erstwhile league leaders were brought crashing down to earth in a 2-0 defeat to Spezia in their last league outing.
Continuing their recent struggles, AC Milan twice squandered the lead against 10-man Red Star Belgrade in a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 32 clash at the Marakana.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan could go four points clear of AC Milan with a win after Romelu Lukaku’s first-half brace inspired them to a 3-1 victory over Lazio in their last league outing.
Inter Milan are on a fine run of results in this fixture, winning five of their last six meetings, which includes the 2-1 win in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on 26th January.
Coming into arguably the most significant Derby Della Madonnina in recent years, both sides are packed with a plethora of world-class stars.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku will respectively spearhead the attacks of AC Milan and Inter Milan; the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Franck Kessie and Achraf Hakimi are a few other stars who will also take the field on Sunday afternoon.
On that note, let's take a look at five players from either team who could steal the show in this highly-anticipated derby.
#5 Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
Nicolo Barella might not be the flashiest of players, but he goes about his duties with a certain swagger at the centre of the park.
Barella has been one of the standout performers in Inter Milan's surge to the Serie A summit. The 24-year-old has been involved in eight Serie A goals for the league leaders this campaign, scoring three and assisting five.
Only Marcelo Brozovic’s six assists bests Barella's assists tally for Inter Milan this season. Should the visitors run riot, the Italian midfielder could have played a huge role.
#4 Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
In 2019, AC Milan snapped up Rafael Leao from Ligue 1 outfit Lille for €23m. That raised a few eyebrows, as the 21-year-old was deemed inexperienced.
However, after an impressive debut season with the Serie A giants, Leao has stamped his name as one of the brightest talents at AC Milan. The Portuguese has scored five goals and registered as many assists in 15 starts for the Rossoneri in the Serie A this season.
His 10-goal involvement ranks him only behind star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has 15.
Rafael Leao came off the bench for a second-half cameo in AC Milan's midweek draw with Red Star. He is in contention to pair with Ibrahimovic on the left side of the AC Milan attack.