Tonight, the last Derby della Madonnina of the 2019/2020 Serie A season kicks off at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milano’s San Siro district, with kick-off scheduled for 20.45 CET.

Inter head into the match in 2nd place in the table on 51 points, 3 points behind league leaders Juventus, and 1 point ahead of 3rd placed Lazio.

Inter have amassed 15 wins so far this season, together with 6 draws and one defeat. The Nerazzurri have the better share of the spoils between the two sides, having won 67 times against Milan in the Serie A, compared to Milan’s 53 wins, and 55 matches ending in a draw.

Milan have struggled against Inter domestically in the Serie A, having not won against their rivals since their 3-0 triumph in the 2015/16 season. The Rossoneri have gone through a tough time this year, having started the season with Giampaolo and not having the best starts.

Now under the guidance of Stefano Pioli, the Rossoneri have improved slightly and sit 8th in the league as of today, with 32 points, joint with Cagliari who are in the last European spot in 6th place. Milan have won 9 times this season and lost 8, with 5 draws to round it off.

Attack

Inter remain one of the best attacking teams in the Serie A this season, scoring 44 goals in total, averaging 2 per game, the 3rd highest scoring team in the league. Lukaku remains Inter’s top scorer with 16 goals, averaging a goal every 118 minutes.

Lautaro Martinez, who is behind him having scored 11 goals so far, averaging a goal every 138 minutes, won’t be adding to his tally tonight as he will be sitting out the second game of his 2 match suspension for his red card against Cagliari.

The Nerazzuri have the 4th highest xG in the league with an average of 1.91 per game, and the 5th most shots to boot, with 347 total, averaging 15 per 90 minutes. Antonio Candreva is Inter’s top assist provider this season with 4 so far, and Biraghi providing the most key passes with 13 altogether, averaging 0.88 per 90.

Milan are far from inspiring when it comes to their attacking numbers. They are the 16th most prolific team in the league with a total of 23 goals, averaging 1.05 per game, and their top scorer is surprisingly left back Theo Hernandez, who has 5 goals to his name, averaging a goal every 310 minutes.

Milan are the 9th highest in terms of xG with an average of 1.41 and have the 6th most shots with a total of 336, averaging 14.32 per match. Hernandez, along with being Milan’s top scorer, is also his sides top provider, with 2 assists, and the player with the most key passes is Suso, 17, who left for Sevilla this past January.

Defence

Defensively, there is no stronger team in the Serie A than Inter. The Nerazzurri  have conceded the least amount of goals in league football so far, with a total of 18 goals, averaging 0.82 per game, and have the lowest xG against them averaging 1.05.

Despite conceding the least amount of goals and chances, the Nerazzuri have committed the 4th most fouls in the league, averaging 14 per game. Marcelo Brozovic has won the most amount of defensive duels for his side, while Stefan de Vrij has the most interceptions.

Romelu Lukaku has won the most aerial duels for his side, showing his willingness to help his team when attacking and defending, as he has often cleared the ball out when defending a corner.

AC Milan are reasonably better at defending in relation to their attack. Up until now, they have conceded the 5th least number of goals with 27, averaging 1.23 per game, and have the 14th most xG against them with 1.36.

While Milan have conceded less fouls than Inter, with 13.55 per game, they have been booked more. Again, Hernandez stands out for Milan in defence, winning the most defensive duels for his side, and captain Romagnoli has won the most interceptions and aerial duels for his side.

Key Players

It may be obvious to some, but almost every eye will be on Christian Eriksen tonight, who is expected to start in his first Milan derby. Having joined Inter in January from Tottenham Hotspur, Eriksen is keen to integrate with his team mates as quick as possible, and what better way for him to make himself a fan favourite than by producing a good performance against one of his sides fiercest rivals?

Eriksen has been quoted as saying one of his main motivations for joining the Nerazzuri is so he can win trophies, and helping his side to a win tonight could well help his team on the patch to securing the Scudetto.

AC Milan’s best player this season has definitely been Theo Hernandez. The left back joined from Real Madrid in the summer, and he has been outstanding for his side, being the top scorer, provider and being solid at the back as well.

Pioli will surely be looking towards Hernandez to produce a top performance to help his side get the bragging rights and help rectify their lowly position in the league.

Special mention goes to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 38 year old striker rejoined Milan in January after his contract with LA galaxy ran its course, and has made an immediate impact, both scoring and helping Rafael Leao in his development.

Summary

This game could go either way. Inter may have won the reverse fixture, but this game does not rely on form, or who is stronger and who is weaker. The derby della Madonnina is it’s own breed and the fans will both be cheering on their sides to try and urge them on to victory.

One thing is for sure though, this is going to be a real cracker, so expect fireworks, goals, and last of all, fantastic displays from the fans of each side.

Hit us up on InterStats & SempreInter on Twitter using #InterStats before, during and after the game for coverage of the fixture.