Key Battles and Prediction: Inter Milan vs AC Milan

AC Milan face Inter Milan tonight in a decisive fixture for a spot in the Coppa Italia final against either Juventus or Fiorentina next month. Milan are missing key players for this encounter and have been misfiring in front of goal while Inter are on a hot streak but Stefano Pioli’s side are full of surprises and will need to dig deep for a positive result. Here are some key battles to look out for in this one:

Key Battles

Striker vs Centre back

Olivier Giroud vs Stefan de Vrij

Giroud, Giroud, Giroud ... where has the quality gone, where have the magical moments gone and where has his control and positioning gone. *That’s the same intro as last time as it still applies.* He did it once, can he do it again. Can he get the better of the flat footed de Vrij and create some magical moments out of nothing. This is a big game at the San Siro, one can say this is his scoring MO.

Central attacking midfielder vs Central midfielder

Franck Kessie vs Hakan Calhanoglu

I wonder if this game can redeem Kessie for the Milan fans in the stadium. Let’s say he scores a winner or puts in an 8/10 performance or just pockets Calhanoglu/Brozovic. If Milan can get a win in a knock out derby della Madonnina and he plays a key role, does it warrant forgiveness for his move this summer? Anyway, Calhanoglu humiliated Kessie in the first derby of the season winning that penalty and Kessie is overdue for some payback, there is no better moment than he doing it as a CAM where he can force things in.

Striker vs Centre back

Edin Dzeko vs Matteo Gabbia/Pierre Kalulu

Sorry to be borig with two striker-centre back match ups but these will be crucial in this game particularly ours. Gabbia or Kalulu will start, Dzeko faces them with Martinez taking on Tomori. The Bosnian striker is experienced and a poacher, he is out worst nightmare as he takes advantage of the small errors and lapses in concentration which we are often guilty of especially if Gabbia starts. The run of clean sheets can only be saved by Maignan in this one but they could get us an unreal result if we keep another one.

Predictions

Giroud Winner

Kessie Winner

Kalulu Winner