Already in the fifth round of the current season, the champion and the vice-champion from the past season in Serie A will face off. It was the city rivals Milan and Inter, who decided the dispute for the title literally in the last round, when the “Rossoneri” took the three points with ease as a guest of Sassuolo and kept their leading position.
It can be argued that Milan won the title thanks to the head-to-head matches with Inter. The “red and black” took four points from the two meetings. However, Inter took theirs in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. The first match ended 0:0, but the second leg was won 3:0 by the Blue and Blacks. They subsequently beat Juventus in the final.
The new season does not start in the best way for the giants from Milan. Milan are still unbeaten, but Inter are ahead despite losing two rounds ago to Lazio. This was the most difficult match for the Nerazzurri since the beginning of the campaign. The other three were expectedly won against teams that appear to be fighting for their survival – Lecce, La Spezia and Cremonese.
Milan’s program so far has been a bit more complicated. The Rossoneri also had their strong opponent in Atalanta when they deservedly equalized. Another offshoot was allowed to go out, as the meeting with Sassuolo surprisingly ended goalless. However, on their own ground so far, Milan have been unerring against Udinese and Bologna.
Personally, for me there is no favorite in this fight. The bookies give Inter a slight edge, perhaps due to their three wins, but they were over the underdogs. At the same time, Milan kept two clean sheets and gives a request that they will fight for the defense of their title. Perhaps today’s derby will not produce a winner, but if there is one, I expect it to be the Rossoneri.
