Serie A Preview: Inter Milan Aims for Record Extending Derby Winning Streak, AC Milan Determined to Change Formation

On September 23 at 2:45 AM, the fifth round of Serie A will see the derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan at the San Siro – Meazza Stadium. Technically, this match is considered Inter’s “home game”.

Inter Milan has been relatively steady since the start of the season, with 2 wins and 3 draws in 5 games remaining unbeaten. In Serie A, Inter drew against Genoa and Monza, seen as losing some points they should have won, however, the 4-0 victory over Atalanta and the midweek Champions League 0-0 draw away to Manchester City demonstrated Inter’s notable strength.

AC Milan underwent a managerial change and squad overhaul in the summer and started the season poorly, with only 2 draws and 1 loss in the first 3 league matches against Torino, Parma, and Lazio. They showed signs of revival with a 4-0 win in the league against Venice but then suffered a 1-3 defeat to Liverpool in the midweek Champions League. Pre-match, major media outlets were speculating that Fonseca’s position was shaky due to conflicts with Milan’s executive Ibrahimovic, affecting the morale of the Rossoneri.

In terms of head-to-head results, Inter has won the last six derbies, with a net goal difference of 12. If Inter can achieve seven consecutive wins, it will set a new record – the longest winning streak in a derby by either side previously being six (twice by AC Milan, once by Inter).

Personnel-wise, Inter welcomed back Darmian and Arnautovic from injury before the match, currently having only Buchanan as an injured player.

For AC Milan, goalkeeper Maignan made a quick return, but Calabria got injured before the match. In addition, second-choice goalkeeper Spugna, two defenders Gav, Florenzi, and midfielder Bennacer will all be absent. According to Sky Sports, AC Milan has initiated two major changes: one is changing from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 formation, deploying Morata and Abraham as a striker duo, adding Leao and Pulisic to strengthen the attack. The other change in defense is using Gabbia as a surprise element, replacing Pavlovic.

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