AC Milan vs Inter Milan

The first Champions League edition of the famous Derby della Madonnina pits AC Milan and Inter Milan against each other at the Stadio San Siro in the first leg of their mouth-watering semi-final tie.

After a runner-up finish to Chelsea in Group E helped Milan reach the Champions League knockouts for the first time since 2013/14, they could now make it to their first grand final since lifting the trophy in 2006/07. Stefano Pioli’s men have ousted Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli in the last two knockout rounds, conceding just once across four legs. More importantly, since a woeful 3-1 away defeat to Udinese in Serie A two months ago, ‘I Rossoneri’ have gone unbeaten in nine consecutive games in all competitions (W4, D5), including a crucial 2-0 home triumph over Lazio in last weekend’s top-four six-pointer. However, after beating Inter 3-2 in their first encounter of the 2022/23 campaign, they’ve lost both subsequent H2Hs without scoring.

With that in mind, high-flying Inter Milan will take the field in high spirits, especially after a 2-0 victory at Roma last weekend extended their winning streak in all competitions to five matches. Simone Inzaghi’s lads were nothing short of convincing in that period, winning each game by a multi-goal margin, contributing an overwhelming aggregate score of 16-1. Following a runner-up finish to Bayern Munich in Group C, ‘I Nerazzuri’ have overcome Primeira Liga heavyweights Porto and Benfica in the last two Champions League knockout rounds to set up their first semi-final appearance since their triumphant 2009/10 season. Defensive resilience has been Inter’s hallmark this season as they’ve racked up six clean sheets in ten Champions League outings and could make it seven in a single campaign for the first time.