Inter Milan have plenty on the line in this evening’s Serie A derby, but for AC Milan it could be worth everything.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
The derby is always one of the biggest matches of the season for both Inter and Milan.
That is the case no matter what the league table looks like.
The derby doesn’t need to have any significance for trophies to be an important match. It is the city rivalry that really elevates it in importance, making it one of Italian football’s showpiece occasions.
Therefore, for Inter it will be a huge early event.
And moreover, this derby will certainly be a key match for the Nerazzurri’s league ambitions.
After two draws early on in the season, Inter have yet to really take control of the title race.
But especially after yesterday’s draw between Juventus and Napoli, three points in the derby this evening would really allow the Nerazzurri to get their noses in front.
Derby Important For Inter – But Everything At Stake For AC Milan
For Milan, though, this derby already has the feeling of a last chance.
The Rossoneri’s start to the season has been nothing short of abysmal.
Last weekend’s 4-0 win over Venezia looks like the outlier in what has otherwise been a miserable beginning to life under Paulo Fonseca.
In three matches before the international break, the Rossoneri failed to win. They took just two points against Torino, Parma, and Lazio.
And then in midweek, Milan lost to Liverpool in their Champions League opener.
Perhaps losing to such top-quality Premier League opposition would have been forgivable.
But it was the manner of the defeat that really laid bare the problems that Milan are having.
The placement of the derby in the fixture list means that it could very well be a turning point, just the shot in the arm that Milan need.
But if the Rossoneri put in another lacklustre performance and lose their seventh consecutive meeting with city rivals Inter, they could really find themselves at rock bottom.