Inter Milan vs AC Milan

Following a goalless first-leg draw, all is to play for at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Inter Milan and AC Milan go head-to-head in the return leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie.

Inter Milan made light work of Spezia at the weekend, cruising to a comprehensive 3-1 away victory to remain firmly in contention for the Scudetto. A third successive Serie A triumph should lift the spirits in the Inter camp as Simone Inzaghi’s men hope to end a run of three competitive H2Hs without winning (D2, L1). Interestingly, despite lamenting a negative all-time Coppa Italia knock-out record against Milan (W3, L5), they’ve come out victorious in both previous H2H two-legged ties, most recently in the 1999/20 campaign. However, the reigning Serie A champions have suffered elimination in each of their last four Coppa Italia semi-final appearances. Overall, no side have lost more last-four contests in the competition than Inter (19). Yet, a couple of clean sheets from their last three home outings (W2, D1) sound inspiring.

As for AC Milan, a 2-0 home victory over relegation-threatened Genoa last weekend kept them at the Serie A summit, further boosting their confidence ahead of this clash. Stefano Pioli’s men head into proceedings amid a purple patch, having gone unbeaten in their last 13 competitive fixtures (W7, D6). Much of the credit for Milan’s stellar form goes to a water-tight backline that kept as many as ten clean sheets across that 13-game sequence. What’s more, ‘I Rossoneri’ have not conceded a single goal in their last seven competitive outings, six of which featured under 1.5 overall goals. Milan have been flying high in the Coppa Italia lately, going unbeaten in eight of their nine previous matches in the competition (W4, D4). But that solitary defeat came at the hands of Inter of all teams back in last season’s quarter-finals.