They have been sitting pretty at the top of the Serie A table for quite some time now, however, a poor run of form saw AC Milan Scudetto chances fall. Now, Inter Milan, who recently took care of business by beating Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, began their climb to the top. Milan kept a two-point lead for a couple of weeks, though Inter’s game in hand had long overshadowed their security on top. On Wednesday night, things changed.
AC Milan Scudetto Hopes Boosted After Inter Milan Loss
Inter’s Poor Match in Hand
Inter had Bologna scheduled as the last meeting was postponed due to COVID-19. This is the same Bologna squad that caused Milan headaches just a couple of matchdays ago, but Inter was coming into the game on great form. Inter opted for most of their usual players, including the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Ivan Perisic, Hakan Calhanoglu and Milan Skriniar. The main difference, however, was that Ionut Radu started in goal over Samir Handanovic.
Perisic opened up the scoring early before Marko Arnautovic’s equaliser. In the last 10 minutes of the game, a Radu howler allowed Nicola Sansone to score the winner for Bologna. This mistake, and subsequent loss, are of major detriment to Inter’s hopes of successfully defending their crown.
The Implications for an AC Milan Scudetto
Milan now firmly hold a two-point lead over Inter in the table with four matches remaining. The Rossoneri also have the advantage should it be decided on head-to-head. The two teams drew in their first league meeting of the season, but Milan won the second meeting 2-1 with both goals scored by Oliver Giroud.
Due to this, Milan only need to win three and draw one match in order to secure the club’s first Scudetto since the 2010/11 season.
Juventus dominated Serie A right after Milan’s last Scudetto. Last season, however, Inter won the title. Inter then lost stars in Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, but also their manager in Antonio Conte. Milan, on the other hand, added talent in names such as Giroud and Mike Maignan. Plenty of Milan youngsters, including Sandro Tonali, have stepped up as well. The Scudetto is firmly within grasp.
The Remaining Matches
Inter will face Udinese, Empoli, Cagliari, and Sampdoria. Udinese are 12th in the table, whereas Empoli are 14th, Cagliari 17th, and Sampdoria 16th. From this perspective, they are all very winnable matches for Inter. It would not be foolish to assume they’d win them all, even after their poor result v Bologna. If this ends up being the case, Inter will still have to hope for a slip-up from Milan.
Milan’s schedule to finish out is quite tough. The team play Fiorentina, Hellas Verona, Atalanta, and Sassuolo. Fiorentina is seventh in the table, whereas Hellas Verona are ninth, Atalanta eighth, and Sassuolo 10th.
Clearly, Milan have the tougher schedule. There are no excuses, however, as all teams ultimately play each other twice.
It’s safe to say there will be a wild finish to the Serie A season.
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