AC Milan Vs. Internazionale: The Scudetto Up For Grabs In Derby Della Madonnina

Thank goodness we don't have to wait until Sunday for the Derby della Madonnina -- I fear the world might explode with the tension of it all. Instead, AC Milan host Inter in the late Saturday match, relishing the attention as both teams look to make a point about in which San Siro locker room the scudetto will hang.

You know the story so far. AC Milan in first place in Serie A, Inter Milan just two behind in second. Milan have been struggling as of late. Knocked out of the Champions League by Tottenham Hotspur. Drawn by Bari. Beaten by Palermo, who hadn't had a win in something like thirty games. Inter, meanwhile, are still flying high, milking that "revitalized" reputation for all its worth. Through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League after knocking aside Bayern Munich in a great comeback win. A draw against Brescia before that, but we've all seen the Brescia bus, so that's not entirely surprising. An unimpressive victory against Lecce last time out, but Inter seem to reserve their fireworks for the big matches. The nerazzurri love their drama, and what's more dramatic than the Milan derby?

The derby is coming at what might be the absolute worst time for the rossoneri. Zlatan Ibrahimović is suspended. Alexandre Pato isn't fully fit, and Antonio Cassano isn't looking in peak condition, either. AC Milan have spent much of the last few months struggling to determine which of their forwards work best together, but for the derby, it'll be a test of who is feeling the best. It's likely to be Pato and Robinho up top, with Kevin-Prince Boateng just behind, although again, he's still suffering the after-effects of injury as well. The only happy news for Milan is that Mark van Bommel is set to start, despite a little niggle suffered away on international duty with the Netherlands.

As for Inter, well, their attack is just fine. Samuel Eto'o, Giampaolo Pazzini, and Goran Pandev look to start, with Wesley Sneijder just behind. That's a threatening lineup, the same one that scored five goals against Genoa in the second half of the match. But what Inter are missing is a tight defense. Lucio is suspended. Walter Samuel remains injured. The nerazzurri are breathing a sigh of relief right now, though, with the news that Cristian Chivu and Andrea Ranocchia recovered from their knocks, both picked up while on international duty.