Inter and AC Milan may not be likely to haul themselves back into the Serie A title race regardless of the outcome of this evening’s Milan derby, but both of the two city rivals have plenty to fight for beyond pride.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, who note the fact that both the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri can hardly afford to miss out on qualification for the Champions League next season.
For both Inter and Milan, qualification for the Champions league next campaign will be nothing less than vital on a financial level, given the importance of revenues from UEFA for participating in the competition to their respective projects.
For both teams, the route of qualifying for next season’s edition by winning the competition this time around is still technically open, but much more feasible would be doing so via finishing top four in the league.
If both the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri will have expected that top four was the bare minimum expectation for this season and the Serie A title their goal, both of the pair will have been sorely disappointed to find themselves in the wake of runaway league leaders Napoli.
As far as top four, both Milan clubs are in with a very good chance of securing a spot, but they find themselves facing the competition of Lazio, Roma, and Napoli, in what is effectively a five-team race into three spots.
There is every chance that the question of who qualifies for the Champions League and the riches that come with it and who misses out will come down to no more than one, two, or three points.
Against this backdrop, it is clear just how significant the result of this evening’s derby clash could be for both teams.
