It all comes down to Tuesday in the Coppa Italia semifinal between AC Milan and Inter Milan. After the goalless first leg, the two sides face each other again over one month later. This promises to be a tense second-leg showdown, full of emotions at San Siro with both teams determined to one-up their bitter rival to reach the final. The winner of the Derby della Madonnina will play against the winner of the second semifinal between Juventus and Fiorentina (1-0 for Juventus in the first leg in Florence) which will take place this Wednesday at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. It’s important to note that this is the last version of the Coppa Italia with the away-goal rule still active, unlike other competitions such as the UEFA Champions League that chose to abolish away goals starting this season. Inter Milan are the designated home team, which could give the away-goal edge to AC Milan if they manage to get a draw while also scoring.
Here’s what you need to know:
Viewing information
Date: Tuesday, Apr. 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Stadio San Siro — Milan, Italy
TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
Pregame coverage: 2:30 p.m. ET
Team news
Inter Milan: They navigated past a rough patch moment that started exactly after losing against AC Milan on Feb. 5. All of a sudden, Inter Milan seem to be finally back on track with three consecutive Serie A wins (Juventus, Hellas Verona and Spezia) for the first time in the calendar year. Simone Inzaghi can count on all his key players, including Stefan de Vrij, who is finally back after his injury and will likely be in the starting XI. Both Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko are expected to start the Derby della Madonnina and their role will be crucial for the final result of the match.
AC Milan: Stefano Pioli can also start with his usual starting XI with Pierre Kalulu as right back and Matteo Gabbia who will play alongside Fikayo Tomori as center back since Alessio Romagnoli is still in doubt. Olivier Giroud will be their go-to striker considering Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still sidelined and will miss the entire week for his recovery process. Giroud was the deciding player of the derby won by AC Milan in February with a crucial brace that completely changed the course of the current Serie A campaign.
Prediction
Expect a very close match and probably one where goals are few and far between, especially if we look at AC Milan’s recent form matches since they have only scored five in the past six fixtures. The Rossoneri comes out on top here. Pick: AC Milan 1, Inter Milan 0
