Serie A: Inter Out to Crush Milan’s Title Hopes in Derby

Inter Milan vs AC Milan

AC Milan’s hopes of securing their first Serie A title in over a decade are slowly fading. After back-to-back setbacks, they are now four points behind reigning champions Inter, who still have a game in hand.

The Nerazzurri now have the chance to deliver the knockout blow to their city rivals’ title hopes when they meet in the Milan derby this weekend.

The Serie A 2022 betting odds will fancy Inter, who are in the midst of an impressive unbeaten run in the league. Can the Rossoneri pull off the upset and get back into the title race?

Talking Points

Inter still winning, but not convincingly

It has been quite a while since Inter Milan have experienced defeat. They have gone eight games unbeaten (7 wins, 1 draw) since losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League in early December. Meanwhile, it’s been 14 long games (11 wins, 3 draws) since their last loss in Serie A, where they still lead by four points.

However, the Nerazzurri have been far from dominant in recent outings. Their last three league wins – all at home – have all been by a single goal, and they were also held to a goalless draw by Atalanta.

They needed a 90^th-minute winner from Edin Dzeko – his ninth goal of the season – to get a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Venezia in their most recent Serie A match. They also suffered a scare in the Coppa Italia against Empoli, where they needed a 90^th-minute equaliser and an extra-time winner to go through, 3-2.

The good news for Inter is that a couple of their South American strikers will return from international duty in fine form.

Lautaro Martinez, who has scored just once in his last six appearances for Inter, scored twice for Argentina over the international break, which should help boost his confidence. Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez, who has scored four goals in his last eight Inter appearances, bagged a brace for Chile.

Wing-back Robin Gosens – Inter’s marquee signing in this winter transfer window – is still not yet ready to make his debut, while striker Joaquin Correa will still be out with a hamstring injury. But besides that, coach Simone Inzaghi should have his full squad to choose from for the derby.

Milan midfield returns from AFCON

AC Milan’s title hopes have taken a big hit after a pair of disappointing Serie A 2022 results at home. After a shock 2-1 loss to Spezia, they were then held to a goalless draw by Juventus. Those results leave Milan four points behind Inter while having played a game more.

Milan were quiet during the winter transfer window, with only teenage striker Marko Lazetic coming in. That means coach Stefano Pioli will have to make do with basically the same set of players for the remainder of the season.

The good news for Pioli is that his first-choice midfielders, Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie, should be set to start after returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Pioli will make more changes to his front line. Pioli subbed off his entire front four of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz, and Junior Messias against Juventus as he looked for some sort of attacking spark.

After a bright start to the season, Diaz has been in disappointing form and has not scored a goal since September. 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still the team’s leading scorer with eight goals in just 11 Serie A starts this season, while Rafael Leao is the team’s most in-form forward with three goals and two assists in his last five appearances.

History

The blue side of Milan has dominated the Derby della Madonnina in recent years. Inter have won five out of their last eight league meetings, with two draws and just one defeat, which came in October 2020.

Although, AC Milan did hold Inter to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of this season back in November. Hakan Calhanoglu had given the Nerazzurri the lead, but the Rossoneri got an equaliser from a Stefan de Vrij own goal.

Betting Tip

	Inter Milan vs AC Milan	1X2 Draw @ 3.65
	February 6, 01:00 (GMT+8)

SBOTOP odds have Inter Milan installed as 1.85 favourites in the derby against AC Milan, who are priced at 3.95 to pull off an upset. Meanwhile, a draw is at 3.65.

While Inter have this long unbeaten run going, the fact that they have looked unconvincing in recent games is a bit of a concern. Similarly, the fact that star striker Lautaro Martinez and super sub Alexis Sanchez could be a bit fatigued following international duty could blunt their attack. And on the other side, Milan will get their key midfielders back for this crucial tie, where they should have much more sense of urgency given that a loss could knock them out of the title race. That is why I expect Milan to put on a battling display and hold rivals Inter to a derby draw.

 

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