With Serie A appearing to be a wide open league this season, both Inter Milan and A.C. Milan can make great strides towards a title chase with a big victory today. Both teams are very much in the mix early on, but both have also endured early struggles, mostly because of injuries. Inter have recovered from most of theirs, while Milan have been dealt their biggest blows recently.
Inter Milan vs. A.C. Milan: Pre-Match Primer
Both Pippo Inzaghi and Pato sustained injuries mid-week against Palermo and both will be unavailable today. As a result, Robinho makes a well-deserved start. Milan’s starting lineup will be strong, but their bench is starting to look thin.
Despite having all of Julio Cesar, Esteban Cambiasso, Goran Pandev, Jonathan Biabiany, and Coutinho healthy, none of them will start today’s match. Instead, Rafa Benitez has opted for a more unorthodox look, possibly attempting to match Milan like for like in formation. That doesn’t explain Cesar’s benching, though. Whatever, it’s Rafa. Attempts to explain his thought processes are futile.
Inter Milan lineup (4-4-2 diamond...we think): Castellazzi / Chivu, Materazzi, Lucio, Cordoba / Stankovic, Obi, Zanetti, Sneijder / Eto’o, Milito
A.C. Milan lineup (4-4-2 diamond): Abbiati / Zambrotta, Silva, Nesta, Abate / Ambrosini, Flamini, Gattuso, Seedorf / Ibrahimovic, Robinho
Is Rafael Benitez playing for a draw? Will these players somehow morph into his usually preferred formation? Is he just on acid? Only time will tell. Kickoff is 2:45 pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States.
See More:
