In front of their flawless records, Italian heavyweights Inter Milan and AC Milan will meet at the stadium on Saturday night as they battle for the top spot in Serie A. The two sides have already won three matches before the first 'Derby della Sera' of the season, so there will be a decision to be made when they meet. Both teams have three wins to their name ahead of the first 'Derby della Milano' of the season, so when these two giants of Serie A collide, there's bound to be a decision to be made.
Inter have won each of their last four matches against Milan without conceding a goal - a club record. Now Inter are trying to make it five Milan derbies in a row. It's a feat that has yet to be achieved in the historic rivalry between these two clubs, but more importantly, Inter are vying for the top spot in Serie A and an early push in this year's title race.
Although they were overtaken by their rivals in the 2022 league, Inter have since bounced back in a ferocious fashion; including their current hot streak of four consecutive wins, they have scored first in their last 10 derbies, which includes games in Serie A, and the Champions League.
Simone Inzaghi's side have also made a very sharp start to the 2023-24 season, having won their first three games in a row without conceding a single goal prior to the international soccer intervention - they scored twice against both Mozza and Cagliari before scoring four against Fiorentina.
The last time Inter Milan started a season with three clean sheets was a long time ago in 1966, and they haven't conceded a goal in Serie A since they were scored against Atalanta in injury time in a May game.
Such resilience could give them a real chance in the race for the league title - something that has so far eluded them under Inzaghi - or even in their efforts to go further in Europe, where they missed out on the Champions League by just a small margin last season.
While Inter Milan's first game of the European season was against San Sebastian, they will face Real Sociedad in next week's game, but that won't distract them from their task of sovereign supremacy in the Milan derby.
However, despite AC Milan suffering a couple of misfortunes in recent derbies - notably in last season's Champions League semi-final - they have actually won three of their last six league matches against Inter Milan - which is more than they won in their first 19 games.
However, the Rossoneri were second in the most recent Serie A showdown between the two Lombardi clubs, when they lost 1-0 to Inter Milan in early February, when a goal from their debutant attacker split the two teams.
Now Milan will face their city rivals in a tie for the first time since May 2001, a precedent they may hope will bring them luck; on that occasion, the red side of Italy's second-largest city won a stunning 6-0 victory.
Coach Poli, who has revamped his midfield this summer - and had a brief but unsuccessful stint as Inter Milan manager in the past - has seen his team start the season brilliantly, with three consecutive victories before the international break.
Milan have now won their first three games three times in the last four seasons - a significant improvement on the previous 29 years - and they beat Bologna and Torino before bringing home maximum points from Roma. Despite being reduced to 10 men by a sending off in their most recent game, the Rossoneri held on to protect a two-goal lead until injury time and managed to win 2-1.
Age-defying striker Olivier Giroud scored again at the Stadio Olimpico and the outcome of this week's derby could hinge on his showdown with Inter Milan captain Roberto Martinez, who has made an equally strong start to the season.
Possible Inter starting lineup: Sumer; Darmian, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Karhanoglu, Mihitaryan, Di Marco; Thuram, Martinez.
AC Milan's probable starting lineup: Meinjan; Calabria, Thiawal, Kiel, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Regedes; Pulisic, Giroud, Léo.
OUR PREDICTION: INTER MILAN 2-1 AC MILAN Not only are Inter Milan and AC Milan tied at the top of the table, they are also the two highest scoring teams in Serie A this season, with each team scoring eight goals. However, Saturday's game should be much closer, with panic derby defeats a major factor.
