The UEFA Champions League will meet its first finalist after Inter Milan and AC Milan clash in a new edition of the Derby della Madonnina, now at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
After an exhausting season, in which Inter was fighting inch by inch for the Serie A title, now they have the opportunity to achieve a historic feat and eliminate their staunch rival from the city for the first time in the highest European competition, after the qualifying rounds in 2003 and 2005, where the rossoneros got the ticket.
In addition, Inter is present at the commitment of the immersed in a streak of seven victories in all competitions and they have within their reach to sign a triplet of titles, since they beat Milan in the Italian Super Cup and agreed to the final of the Italian Cup against Fiorentina.
With a 2-0 advantage in the first leg and a lead in good shape, led by the Belgian Romelu Lukaku, and followed by the Bosnian Edin Dzecko, together with the Argentine Lautaro Martínez, the team led by Simone Inzaghi has the table set for emulate what was achieved in 2010, when they conquered their only Orejona, under the hand of José Mourinho.
While AC Milan comes beaten to this final duel, after only adding one win in the last five games, in addition to the defeat against Spezia, which puts it at risk in its aspirations to reach European competitions in the following season.
Faced with this situation, Stefano Pioli’s team, which arrives as the last champion in Italy, knows that a victory in the final could be the only way to access the next Champions League. “It’s the most important game of the season,” Pioli said. “We need to make as little mistakes as possible. We have the virtues to come back”.
The obligation of the Red Devils is to beat Inter by at least two goals difference to send the match to overtime. A victory by the minimum, a draw or a defeat would condemn them in the tie.
Although the panorama looks dark for the rossoneros, AC Milan will be able to count on their Portuguese star Rafael Leao for this vital match.
Leao was unable to play in the first leg due to a muscle ailment. It should be remembered that the Lusitanian was proclaimed the best player in Serie A when Milan became champion of the Italian league and was essential for Milan to eliminate Napoli in the quarterfinals.
AC Milan’s last final was in 2007, when they beat English Liverpool 2-1, thus achieving their seventh Orejona, being the second team with the most titles in this competition in history.
An unforgettable meeting, and here we leave you all the details
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Hours: 1:00 p.m.
Transmission channels: TNT I HBO MAX (APP) I Here at Publisport we will bring you all the details