The Milan Derby kicks off this Saturday night. This match always holds bragging rights implications, but there’s a different tone for the upcoming one. AC Milan is ahead of Inter Milan in the league table, and although the season is young, Milan looks much improved from years prior. Due to both injuries and positive COVID-19 tests, both teams will field different lineups than usual.
Likely Line-Ups for the Milan Derby
AC Milan
Defence
Gianluigi Donnarumma will start in goal for Milan. This will always be the case for the Rossoneri. He is the heart and soul of the club and has been captain all season long so far due to Alessio Romagnoli‘s past injury.
The defence will see a change, one that should be positive but also carries a shadow of doubt. This comes within the centre-backs. Simon Kjaer will start again, as he has been massive for the club since his arrival from Sevilla in January. His veteran presence is a major boost to a young defence.
His partner in the back should be Romagnoli. The captain has yet to play a game this season due to a hamstring injury he suffered last season but is looking healthy in training. Matteo Gabbia had been starting alongside Kjaer, and has done well, but was one of Milan’s latest positive COVID-19 tests. Romagnoli starting should be seen as a boost, but it presents a risk as he will be facing one of Italy’s most potent attacks in his first game back.
The starting fullbacks will stay the same with Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez. Andrea Conti is not in the running to start at right-back after suffering an injury, but with that being said Calabria has been in top form.
Midfield
Milan will employ their regular midfield double pivot of Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie. Bennacer pulls the strings for Milan, while Kessie is constantly improving as a box-to-box threat. The duo continues to show their world-class form from the end of last season.
Attack
The three players behind the striker in Stefano Pioli’s 4-2-3-1 formation will be Alexis Saelemaekers, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Rafael Leão. Saelemaekers may not produce the spectacular, but he is a workhorse. Calhanoglu has looked like a genius in recent months, and is a threat to either score and assist. Leão is back from his previous COVID-19 quarantine and scored a brace in Milan’s last match versus Spezia. This gives him the edge over Brahim Diaz.
A major boost to the Rossoneri is the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede has recovered from COVID-19 and is back in training. Milan didn’t necessarily need him for their easier slate of games to open the season, but he will be crucial versus Inter.
Inter Milan
Defence
Like Donnarumma for Milan, Inter has their constant in Samir Handanovic. The Slovenian has been arguably the top goalkeeper in the league for the past several seasons and continues to be great.
The defence is where things get interesting. Antonio Conte typically employs three centre-backs in the XI, but this time he will be without Milan Skriniar and Alessandro Bastoni due to COVID-19.
Stefan de Vrij is healthy and a regular starter. Now, however, it looks as if Danilo D’Ambrosio will start on the right with Aleksander Kolarov on the left. The two are solid defenders but are naturally fullbacks.
Midfield
Inter are spoiled with options in the midfield. With that being said, they will be without Radja Nainggolan, Ashley Young, and Roberto Gagliardini due to COVID-19. Stefano Sensi will miss the game with a suspension.
Achraf Hakimi will play on the right in the five-man midfield. He’s already been excellent, and Conte loves to utilize his wingbacks. Ivan Perisic will feature on the left, as he is back from Bayern Munich.
The two players in between the wingbacks will likely be Arturo Vidal and Marcelo Brozovic. Vidal is a favourite of Conte’s, and although not at the top of his game anymore, still a serviceable midfielder. Brozovic is an Inter constant and tends to always play well in the Milan Derby.
The one midfielder behind the two strikers will be Nicolo Barella. Inter do have Christian Eriksen, but Barella has been the player of choice thus far.
Attack
Inter boasts one of the most fearsome attacks in Serie A. This, of course, features both Romelu Lukaku and Lautauro Martinez.
Lukaku already has three goals in three matches this season, averaging a goal every 82 minutes on the pitch. This will prove to be a tough cover for Romagnoli while still recovering from injury. Lukaku gave himself the nickname of the “King of Milan” after the last Milan Derby, so he will be playing with a lot to prove.
Martinez’s brilliance often gets overshadowed by Lukaku. The Argentinian, however, is capable of starting as a lone striker for most teams in Italy, so pairing him up with Lukaku is a nightmare to plan against.
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