AC Milan vs Inter Milan: Key Battles and Predictions

AC Milan host Inter Milan tonight in a pivotal game in the league for the top four race this season. Milan are keeping pace with Napoli for the moment but this will be a big challenge for the side to overcome with a number of key players for the attacking phase missing. Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Central attacking midfielder vs Central defensive midfielder

Rade Krunic vs Marcelo Brozovic

Unfortunately, it seems Diaz will not start as he is not yet at 100%. This leaves Krunic to be the creative cog in the side as with recent games. Krunic will need to play a physical game to overpower Brozovic and keep the ball moving forward to Ibrahimovic. Krunic will also need to try and cut off Brozovic from distributing the ball from his defence to the ball carrying midfielders such as Barella and Calhanoglu.

Central defensive midfielder vs Central midfielder

Sandro Tonali vs Nicolo Barella

The battle of two of the highly rated young midfielders in the country. Tonali has been on a roll recently and will need to carry on that fine form against Barella. The Inter midfielder is the gel for his side to keep their attack running and he is very dangerous both on and off the ball as his movement is exceptional. Tonali must keep the ball between himself and Kessie for most of the game as possession empowers Inter to find gaps in our defence.

Central attacking midfielder vs Central defensive midfielder

Hakan Calhanoglu vs Franck Kessie

This will be the key match up to look out for. Kessie takes on his former teammate and his old friend Calhanoglu as a crosstown rival. Kessie will need to shut down Calhanoglu and deny him any shooting opportunity. Conversely, Kessie will need to play an important role in supporting Krunic further up the pitch as the side will likely miss some creativity. Let’s hope for some magic from the Ivorian in the game.

Predictions

Brozovic Winner

Tonali Winner

Kessie Winner