Serie A Preview: Milan - Inter

In an unusually early Milan derby, the pressure will be on Inter to avoid a defeat that would send them five points below their rivals.

Milan Favourites Now?

Despite enduring a simply woeful pre-season which made all Milan fans fear the worst, coach Leonardo’s new-look Rossoneri made a more than positive start to their season with a convincing 2-1 away win against Siena, who are usually a tough nut to crack at home. More good news for the Milan faithful came the next day, when arch-rivals Inter drew 1-1 at home against newly promoted Bari.

This will allow the Rossoneri to start this match with a two-point advantage over the Italian champions, and according to some they are in a position of favourites for the first time in several years. With a win, they could already send their ‘cousins’ five points behind with just two matches played. Of course, it is very early in the season, and it is highly unusual for such a big match to be played so early on, so perhaps claiming that any result on the second matchday could influence the outcome of a season is somewhat silly.

It should also be added that Siena lost a number of key players over the summer, so it remains to be seen if they are as solid a team as they were in past seasons. In fact, the true test of Milan’s strength will likely come in this match. Will they build on the performance against Siena, or will they look as unimpressive as they did in their many pre-season defeats against big teams like Inter, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich?

Whatever the outcome will be, it seems clear that the Nerazzurri are the team under the most pressure. Jose Mourinho’s team are still looking for their first official victory of the new season, after losing to Lazio in the Italian Supercup (2-1), and the draw against Bari on the first matchday of Serie A.


Inter Looking For First Win Of The Season In Derby

For Jose Mourinho’s Inter, the situation is somewhat opposite to that of Milan. They did impress in most of their pre-season friendlies, but couldn’t deliver in their first two official matches of the season. Against Lazio in the Supercup and Bari in the league opener, they wasted a number of good chances, but ultimately failed to beat two clearly weaker teams.

It must also be said that the performance against Bari was certainly inferior to the one against Lazio, where Inter were just plain unlucky. Particularly in defence the team seems to be having some unexpected problems, as the newly promoted side created some big chances to win late on in last weekend’s match. Last season Inter’s back four was the least beaten in Serie A, and with the arrival of Lucio from Bayern Munich, you’d think they would only improve in that department.

However, perhaps the Brazilian’s arrival is part of the problem, as he tends to make exaggerated forward runs, causing problems for the rest of his team’s defence. It seems the 31-year-old still needs to get used to playing in Serie A, after spending the majority of his career in the objectively less difficult German Bundesliga. Inter’s other main problem remains a lack of creativity in midfield, although the imminent arrival of Wesley Sneijder from Real Madrid should bring some improvement in that area.

Although it may be early in the season, a defeat for the Nerazzurri in this match would be problematic for them. Going five points behind the leaders this early on in the season is certainly a psychological blow that may take some time to recover from. However, the Beneamata will certainly have a lot of motivation going into this match, as they will be determined to show they are still the best team in Italian football, and have no intention of relinquishing their Serie A crown.
By:charlton buck