AC Milan vs Inter Milan: Mouth-Watering Scudetto Showdown
Derby della Madonnina: The derby that will decide the Scudetto
While the Indian subcontinent braces itself ahead of Saturday’s thrilling finale to the Cricket World Cup, the whole of Italy and Europe is about to come to a stand-still ahead of a crucial football match. It’s the clash of the Milan titans: Inter Milan vs AC Milan, the Derby della Madonnina and the spotlight is turned bright on this derby as the result of this match could decide the fate of the Scudetto and write a new chapter in the changing power dynamics in the city of Milan.
A derby that has always seen tempers flare amongst players and fans, and is the symbol of prestige in the great city of Milan, Saturday’s match has too many storylines attached to it: the return of Leonardo to the derby scene, the importance of the fixture to Massimiliano Allegri’s season, but the main one being the run-in to the Scudetto with just seven rounds to go after Saturday in the Serie A.
AC MILAN
They’ve been sitting pretty at the top of the league for a long time, but AC Milan’s existence as leaders of the Serie A has been more so because of Inter’s poor form rather than Milan’s brilliance. A lead that once looked unbeatable has been cut short immensely, thanks to the draw against lowly Bari and the reverse at Palermo. An ageing midfield that is no longer able to fight it out with the best in Europe, as was displayed against Tottenham Hotspur, Milan have been missing the services of creative magician Andrea Pirlo for too long due to his lengthy lay-off, and thus head into this all-important match with a psychological disadvantage, knowing full well that they must win the Scudetto at all costs to do damage control for their waning star in Europe, which has ironically been their forte through history.
All eyes will be on how Massimilano Allegri rallies his troops for this crunch Scudetto showdown
The derby holds plenty of importance for manager Massimiliano Allegri. Largely unheralded in Italy prior to his appointment, Allegri has fared well at the San Siro job. Brought in to end the seven-year Scudetto duck, this derby will be, in the words of Allegri himself, ‘the most important game of his career’. Having enjoyed a 13 point lead over Inter at one point, it would be a disaster for Milan if they let their rivals pip them to the Scudetto, and the result of the derby could go a long way into determining which part of Milan the title is headed to. With hard work worth an entire season at stake, manager Allegri will be looking to get his tactics spot on and hit out at Inter’s weak-link, which is their central defence.
The team:
The character who will be the most glaring miss on the night will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a former Inter Milan hero and now a valued member of the Milan attack. Ibrahimovic, with 14 goals this season, has been inspirational with his ability to bull-doze past defenders and grab games by the scruff of their necks. His moment of madness against Bari means Milan will miss the fire accompanied by the ego that their spear-head would bring to the attack in such a high-voltage encounter where emotions run high.
Ibrahimovic saw red against Bari and will thus sit out the derby. How much will he be missed?
Andrea Pirlo could make a return to the squad but feature only on the bench. That would mean the onus for creative duties will be on ageing veteran Clarence Seedorf and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Alexandre Pato’s star has been rising gradually, Mark van Bommel has been exceptional ever since the red-card on his debut while Antonio Cassano has failed to keep the momentum that he gained on his exceptional debut going, in sharp contrast to his former Sampdoria team mate Pazzini who is making waves at Inter. Milan have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 22 goals all season. But it would all count for nothing if Inter’s attacking-four go on a rampage.
Probable starting XI: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Gattuso, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Boateng; Pato, Robinho
INTER MILAN
The derby that was held earlier this season in November that AC Milan won 1-0 was a showcase of Inter Milan’s stuttering campaign. The Champions were faced with a massive injury crisis, waning form of star players and the inept tactics of Rafael Benitez playing havoc in the dressing room. At the time of Benitez’s exit, champions Inter lay 7th in the league, 13 points adrift of their rivals, and it looked certain that Milan were going to be runaway winners at the expense of their hated rivals.
Inter's extaordinary Serie A comeback will be complete if Leonardo exacts revenge on Milan on Saturday
Enter Leonardo, an AC Milan man through and through, a man who spent 13 years with the Rossoneri as a player, scout and manager, the man who failed at the Rossoneri job and was sacked duly last season, amidst a plethora of media controversy. Despite the odds stacked against him on counts of lack of managerial experience and tactical nous, the Inter job has been Leonardo’s redemption so far. By garnering 37 points from 15 matches in charge and famously leading his champion team into the Champions League quarter finals after a dramatic comeback against Bayern Munich, Leonardo has achieved the unthinkable in terms of motivating his troops to keep burning the fire in their bellies. Right now, only two points separate Inter from the top and a win on Saturday would mean that the Nerazzurris have completed their incredible comeback and ended their misery by returning to the top by beating their fierce rivals, and that Leonardo would have his revenge on his former employers who axed him unceremoniously.
The team
Good news first. Inter Milan’s dramatic resurgence in the Serie A has been because of the resurgence of their attack, thanks to Leonardo instilling the Brazilian mentality in his team. Samuel Eto’o, with 19 goals this season, has been devastating, summer signing Giampaolo Pazzini has lived up to his price tag with 6 goals from 10 games, and playmaker Wesley Sneijder has got back into the groove that made him the most feared creative midfielder last season. With Goran Pandev added to this trio, Inter have an attacking quartet that is arguably the best in Italy, a fact echoed by their record which stands at 56 goals this season, the best in the country. The injury-prone Diego Milito has recovered and could find a place on the bench and quite possibly feature late in the game.
Expect a lot of fireworks from the high-flying attacking quartet of Inter
Bad news is the certain absence of defensive bed-rock Lucio through suspension and speculations surrounding the fitness of Cristian Chivu and Andrea Ranocchia. With Walter Samuel being a long-term absentee, the Nerazzurris have not been the defensively impregnable unit that they were last season and have defended appallingly at times, most notably against Bayern Munich in the last 16 round. Without their key defenders, there would be pressure on the stand-ins: the ageing Materazzi and Cordoba. However, this clears up one thing: Inter’s mentality will be go all out and attack, for it is their attackers that are capable of doing the Italian job.
Probable starting XI:
Cesar; Maicon, Materazzi, Cordoba, Zanetti; Thiago Motta, Cambiasso ; Sneijder; Pandev, Pazzini, Eto’o
PREDICTION
None of the last 12 matches between the Milan giants has ended in a draw. With both teams looking to go for the kill, don’t expect any change in that stat come Saturday. With their psychological advantage and the revenge mentality surrounding the team for the defeat in November and Leonardo for being sacked unceremoniously at Milan, Inter look the more confident team ahead in the build-up and I tip them to win the derby and lift the Scudetto.