The Milan derby — Inter Milan vs AC Milan — is one of the biggest games in Italian football, and the two clubs are set for a huge clash at the San Siro on Sunday in the Serie A.
Inter and Milan, who have won the Serie A title 18 times each in league's history, lie in fourth and sixth places, respectively, in the standings. However, they still have a lot to play for in the Serie A, and Inter, especially, can even play for the title as they are just six points adrift of Juventus, who are leading the league with 47 points.
Milan, on the other hand, may be 14 points away from the top, but can surely climb in the standings with a string of consistent wins. Milan with one victory in their last four Serie A matches, are aware that they have a chance to defeat Inter, who are also not in the best of form in the league. Inter have won one, lost one and drawn two in their last four matches.
Inter suffered a huge loss against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semifinal first leg. Inter manager Roberto Mancini is aware of the team's recent poor form, but wants his players to working hard.
"January is a strange month for everyone, not just us. You can have dips in form for many reasons and it happens to all teams. Hopefully we'll get out of this rut quickly. We did brilliantly to stay top until 6 January but the season is still long and we can make up ground again. We have to keep working hard — that's what got us up to the top in the first place," Inter Milan official website quoted Mancini as saying.
"Nothing serious has happened. We've gone through a run of games in which we perhaps deserved more, or at least not to lose. We did well before then though and that's why we we're still up there with the top teams," he added.
Inter can definitely get back in track if they manage to defeat Milan, which is going to be Mancini's objective. The same holds for Milan, who have to win this match if they are to have any chance of coming anywhere close to the top guns of the Serie A this season.
Milan's coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, who is aware of the importance of collecting three points, is confident his quality players can defeat Inter.
"For us it is one of the last chances to target the top spots, while Inter need a win to stay up there. What do I envy Inter? Their position in the table, as it is better than ours. The derby is like an elevator — you go to the top or head straight for the basement. We have all the quality needed to win tomorrow night," Football Italia quoted Mihajlovic as saying. "We always go for the victory and I certainly won't go into this thinking about a draw."
Milan to a great extent are going to depend on the services of their attacking duo of Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano to find the back of the net. If these players get going on Sunday, Milan might just churn out a victory. Inter will depend on Icardi and Eder to help the team emerge victorious.
Where to watch live
Inter Milan vs AC Milan Serie game live is scheduled for 8:45 pm local time (1:15 am IST, 7:45 pm GMT 3:45 pm ET) with live TV coverage in India on Sony Six and live streaming on Sony Liv.
Viewers in the UK can watch Inter Milan vs AC Milan Serie A game live on BT Sport Europe; live streaming on on BT Sport Live while US viewers have the luxury of watching the Inter Milan vs AC Milan Serie A game on beIN Sports USA with live streaming on beIN Sports connect.
Viewers in Italy can watch Inter Milan vs AC Milan Serie A game on Sky Sport1/HD Italia.
