The ongoing global COVID-19 crisis continues to affect Italy and Serie A. The two Milanese giants, AC Milan and Inter Milan, face off in the historic Milan Derby, or Derby della Madonnina, next Saturday. Both teams are set to be missing out on a few key players. Although it’s early on in the season, this match always has Scudetto and top four implications. Milan currently sit at second on the table, while Inter sit at fourth.
COVID-19 Affecting Milan Derby
AC Milan
The Rossoneri currently have two positive cases in the club with Matteo Gabbia and Leo Duarte.
Duarte continues to recover after testing positive a couple of weeks ago. His absence doesn’t necessarily hurt Milan for this game as the Brazilian is a sparsely used. He remains a depth option at centre-back. With that being said, his performances tend to be poor. A healthy Duarte would not have likely seen the pitch, but depth remains important in a season such as this one.
Gabbia’s absence is quite unique. He’s started all of Milan’s games at centre-back this season alongside Simon Kjaer. With that being the case, captain Alessio Romagnoli is ready to return to action. He has not seen a minute of play on the pitch this season, however, so Gabbia’s presence will be sorely missed.
Romagnoli is clearly Milan’s best defender. Thrusting him into the starting line-up, especially against a striker like Romelu Lukaku, in his first game back is not ideal, however. Unfortunately for Milan, they may not have a choice.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is another player in question. He tested positive a couple of weeks ago but has now tested negative twice. He’s able to be on the squad list, but his current health remains a mystery. Even if he truly feels healthy, there may not be enough time for him to return to match fitness.
The Swede is the heart and soul of this Milan team, and they need a veteran of his calibre for the Milan Derby.
Inter Milan
The COVID-19 bug has hit Inter in a worse way. At the time of writing, they are reporting five positive cases. This includes Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni, Radja Nainggolan, Roberto Gagliardini, and Andrei Radu.
Not having Skriniar will be a major problem for Inter. He is one of their top centre-backs, and one of the best in all of Italy. Considering Inter use a three-man backline, losing out one of their foundations will be an issue. If Ibrahimovic returns for Milan, Inter will need all the defensive help they can muster up. Even if Ibrahimovic does not play, Milan youngster Rafael Leão continues to improve offensively.
Bastoni’s absence isn’t as crucial as Skriniar, but he is also a starter in Inter’s backline. What Inter choose to do if both Skriniar and Bastoni do not recover will be interesting. For one, they can keep a three-man backline and start Aleksander Kolarov and Andrea Ranocchia alongside Stefan de Vrij. This isn’t ideal, as Kolarov is ageing and Ranocchia is a shadow of his former self. Another option would be to switch up their formation to a four-man backline. Kolarov or Ashley Young could start on the left, Ranocchia and de Vrij in the middle and Achraf Hakimi at right-back.
Nainggolan and Gagliardini consistently play in the midfield. Nainggolan is a high-energy substitute, while Gagliardini has had his fair share of starts. Inter, however, do have a plethora of options in the midfield. Nicolo Barella is a rising star. Arturo Vidal is a favorite of Antonio Conte’s, and still has enough left in the tank. Marcelo Brozovic is reliable, and Christian Eriksen provides a punch going forward. Stefano Sensi will not be available due to a red-card in Inter’s last match.
Not having Nainggolan and Gagliardini is not ideal, but Inter has enough options in that department.
Radu’s absence does not affect Inter in the Milan Derby. Samir Handanovic remains world-class, while Daniele Padelli is a suitable back-up. With that being said, his recovery remains of the utmost importance just like that of every other footballer.
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