AC Milan vs. Inter, the complete guide | OneFootball

The adrenaline is rising, and the countdown has begun: the derby di Milano is scheduled for 18:00 CET on Saturday. Ahead of the cross-city clash, we delve into some of the most interesting facts and statistics.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

A new Derby della Madonnina chapter awaits: on Sunday, AC Milan and Inter will meet for the 242nd time in all competitions. So far, the Nerazzurri have 91 wins to their name compared to the Rossoneri's 81, with 69 draws completing the picture. Inter have been particularly strong against their cross-city rivals in Serie A: in fact, the Nerazzurri are the team who have beaten AC Milan the most in the Italian top flight (70 wins from 181 encounters). Furthermore, no side has scored more goals than Inter against AC Milan in Italy's top tier (259). Inter are unbeaten in seven of the last eight derby clashes played in the second half of the season in Serie A (five wins and two draws).

INTER, PRE-MATCH FACTS

Simone Inzaghi's Inter continue to rack up impressive numbers, displaying solidity, initiative and consistency. In their last 24 league matches, the Nerazzurri have shown real strength, winning 16, drawing seven and defending superbly. The Inter backline is a true fortress: Inzaghi's men have kept seven consecutive clean sheets away from home. In the history of Serie A, only AC Milan have done better (between 1993 and 1994).

Inter have been very impressive on the road, winning eight out of ten away matches in Serie A. Across the top five European leagues, no side has done better than this (Napoli, Liverpool and Marseille have the same tally of wins). Furthermore, the Nerazzurri are the only team still unbeaten away from home in the Italian top flight, a fact that only serves to underline the group's winning mentality.

Simone Inzaghi's men have already found the net on 55 occasions in the league; only three times in history have Inter had more goals to their name after 22 matchdays: in 1949/50 (64), 1950/51 (59) and 1960/61 (56).

LAUTARO THE LEADER

The captain and a true leader. Lautaro Martínez is rewriting Nerazzurri history: in Serie A, he's moved ahead of Mauro Icardi to become the second-best foreign scorer in Inter’s history in the Italian top flight (112 goals), with only Nyers (133) ahead of him. Now, there's another goal in sight: should he score in the derby, he'd reach double digits in matches against AC Milan and join an exclusive club containing Inter legends Giuseppe Meazza (twelve) and Stefano Nyers (eleven). El Toro always provides a threat in front of goal: he has five goal contributions in the team's last five league fixtures (four goals and an assist). Last but not least, his goal tally now stands at 144, meaning he's surpassed Benito Lorenzi and moved into six place in Inter’s all-time top scorer ranking.

DEADLY DENZEL

Not only solidity, but also crucial goals. Denzel Dumfries has already set a personal record for number of goals in a single Serie A season: six, which currently makes him the most prolific defender in the top five European leagues this season. The Dutchman has found the net in three consecutive league matches, and, with another goal, would match a record that has stood since 2005, that of Christian Terlizzi with Palermo.

NO STOPPING TIKUS

Marcus Thuram is enjoying his best-ever season goalscoring-wise in the top five European leagues: he's bagged 13 times in Serie A this season, equalling a personal record. Furthermore, in the past two Serie A seasons, he's scored 26 goals and set a teammate up to score on eleven occasions; he's the only player in the Italian top flight to have surpassed both 25 goals and ten assists in this period.

MKHITARYAN AND AC MILAN

He's always fired up when he comes up against the Rossoneri colours. Henrikh Mkhitaryan left his mark in the first derby of the campaign last season, bagging a brilliant brace in Inter's 5-1 victory. During his career, he's scored four goals against AC Milan; he hasn't done better against any other side (four goals against Werder Bremen, too).

OPPONENTS: AC MILAN

AC Milan come into this Derby della Madonnina on the back of some mixed form. The Rossoneri currently occupy seven place in Serie A with 34 points after nine wins, seven draws and five defeats in 21 matches. They've scored 32 goals and conceded 23. Sérgio Conceicao, a former Inter player, has recently taken charge, with the Portuguese leading AC Milan to victory in the Supercoppa Italiana in January after wins over Juventus and Inter.

After returning from Riyadh, AC Milan drew with Cagliari, won against Como away from home and lost to Juventus in Turin. The Rossoneri then beat Girona 1-0 at home in the Champions League before defeating Parma 3-2 thanks to late goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze. Last time out, they fell to defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb in Europe's elite competition, meaning they'll now face Feyenoord in the knockout phase play-offs. The Rossoneri's goals have been distributed equally: the team's current top scorers are Pulisic and Reijnders (seven each), followed by Morata with five and Leao with four.

Conceicao tends to use a 4-2-3-1 formation and, in the derby, is likely to play Bennacer and Musah in midfield, with Leao, Reijnders and Pulisic ready to support Abraham.

Fofana is suspended, while Emerson Royal, Florenzi and Thiaw are all out injured. There are doubts about Gabbia and Loftus-Cheek. THE ROSSONERI'S RECENT RESULTS

AC Milan 1-1 Cagliari Como 1-2 AC Milan Juventus 2-0 AC Milan AC Milan 1-0 Girona | Champions League AC Milan 3-2 Parma Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 AC Milan | Champions League

DISCIPLINARY SITUATION

SUSPENDED AC Milan: Fofana (1) Inter: - ONE BOOKING AWAY FROM SUSPENSION AC Milan: - Inter: Dumfries

REFEREE

The referee for AC Milan vs. Inter on matchday 23 in Serie A will be Daniele Chiffi, who will have Carbone and Peretti as his assistants. Marinelli will perform the role of fourth official, while Di Paolo, assisted by Doveri, will oversee VAR.

AC MILAN VS. INTER, WHERE TO WATCH ON TV

AC Milan vs. Inter will be played on Sunday 2 February at 18:00 CET and be broadcast exclusively live on DAZN and Sky in Italy. You can watch the match via the DAZN app on your smart TV or stream it via mobile devices such as PCs, smartphones and tablets, as well as via Sky Go and NOW TV on compatible mobile devices.

UPDATES ON INTER TV

As usual, there will be pre-match coverage on Inter TV, with the final updates coming ahead of kick-off. Our Livematch show for AC Milan vs. Inter will be live from 16:45 CET and be visible on YouTube until 17:30 CET. At the end of the match, there will be analysis and interviews.