DerbyWeek™ [Newsletter]

The Derby della Madonnina is upon us and it will be one of the most exciting derbies in a long time. Sure, the quality of the clash has significantly increased over the last few years but this time out, another level will be reached. Of course, this also makes it a tough game to predict.

Milan and Inter have started the season tremendously well, both collecting nine points in the first three games. As a result, it will be the first Milano derby with both sides at the top of the standings (joint-first) since 1962, which of course has been facilitated by the fact that it’s just matchday 4.

The stat is still worth pointing out, though, because it really says a lot about the derby and its development over the last few years. We can all remember the dark times of the ‘banter era’, when both the Rossoneri and the Nerazzurri fielded some very subpar player compared to their standards today. Now, the teams are really worthy of such a great fixture.

On the other hand, it’s clear that Inter were the superior team last season - even if they each got a win in the league - and Milan will need to step up. The new-found depth could be just what they need and one can only hope that these two sides won’t face each other five times this season as well. To be honest, so many games take away some of the appeal of the clash.

At the start of this season, Inter have also been better at least on paper, albeit marginally. They have found the back of the net eight times, just like Milan, but they are yet to concede a goal while Stefano Pioli’s men have conceded twice. On the flip side, the Rossoneri have attempted just 35 shots compared to the Nerazzurri's 60 (read into that stat however you want).

The actual game aside, it’s clear that the build-up has been somewhat ‘tainted’ by the international break. Neither side have been able to train properly this week, with most stars returning today, and there have also emerged some injury concerns. Olivier Giroud left the France camp earlier but fortunately, he should be available for the clash.

Pierre Kalulu has been more or less ruled out, with new tests scheduled for Thursday, and his absence is a huge blow since Fikayo Tomori is suspended. As for Inter, Juan Cuadrado is suffering from a knee issue and could perhaps just make the bench, while Alexis Sanchez seemingly has recovered from the alleged anaemia.

Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic and Lautaro Martinez all played in the early hours of the morning today (Wednesday) and they should be back in training tomorrow. This means they will get just two training sessions before the derby, which is far from ideal. Therefore, the preparation has been a bit all over the place.

News bulletin

➤ The build-up to the derby continues to ramp up, and La Gazzetta dello Sport published an interesting double-page spread comparing the value of both squads, with Milan's slightly higher than that of Inter's.

➤ The paper also did a write-up on Tuesday titled 'The Derby in four moves' which took a look at Simone Inzaghi and Stefano Pioli's long-running battle to outwit each other, and the tactical weapons available to each.

➤ Excitement is growing over Primavera striker Francesco Camarda as he has now made the step up to scoring regularly for Italy U17s too. The management want to tie him down long-term, amid interest from Borussia Dortmund.

➤ Milan have begun negotiations over the extension of Mike Maignan’s contract but the initial request is a little surprising. La Gazzetta have stated he wants €8-10m net per season to renew, with other sources agreeing since.

➤ Milan boss Stefano Pioli and Sandro Tonali were reunited ahead of Italy’s match against Ukraine on Tuesday. The pair shared a hug after a long chat, but Tonali might actually miss the game at San Siro next Tuesday due to a muscle issue.

➤ Three of the summer departees have lifted the lid on their Milan exits. Charles De Ketelaere broke down why things didn't work out, Alexis Saelemaekers referenced Paolo Maldini's sacking and Fode Ballo-Toure said he couldn't reject Fulham.

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