Inter Milan should come out on top when they clash with neighbours AC

European Leagues / Dan Fitch / 21 December 2007 / Leave a Comment

Dan "The Betting Man" Fitch previews the Milan Derby and tells us why there wil be fireworks both on and off the pitch

Neighbours. Everybody needs good neighbours. Unfortunately, good neighbours are about as rare these days as Manchester United Christmas parties will be in the future. Rather than a cheery couple next door that you can always borrow a cup of sugar from, you're more likely to be lumbered with a neighbour, with whom you share a relationship roughly akin to that of Israel and Palestine.

But even worse than a nightmare of a neighbour, is a flatmate you don't get on with. This weekend sees the ultimate clash, in the world of warring cohabiters. Forget Den and Ange, Tom and Jerry, or Eddie and Rich; nothing can live up to the fight for the bathroom that is AC versus Inter Milan. On Sunday, all the bickering between football's most famous flatmates, can be caught live on Betfair Video.

Quite how the two Milan clubs can share the San Siro without utter chaos ensuing is a mystery to me. As a Tottenham fan, I can't imagine sharing anything with Arsenal, other than a healthy dislike of Chelsea. It has been rumoured that if Spurs increase the capacity of White Hart Lane, that we will ground share with the other local ne'er-do-wells, West Ham United. If this comes to fruition, it won't just be White Hart Lane that gets redeveloped, but also Upton Park, every other weekend.

But the Italians are a much more sophisticated bunch. This is proven by the fact that the derby is known in Italy as Derby della Madonnina, which is a lot more fancy than the average English description of a local grudge match (ie. We've got the scum this weekend). The title refers to the statue of the Virgin Mary, which rests upon the Duomo cathedral in Milan. Perhaps naming the game after the world's most famous virgin (I think Britney has now forfeited the title), is a reference to the Milanese teams lacking penetration.

Inter enjoy the 'home' advantage for this tie, which means that even if AC do win at the San Siro on Sunday, they will still be without a home victory in Serie A. Milan now find themselves a massive 22 points behind Inter and are available at [70], compared to the reigning champions' measly [1.27] for the title. The size of this gap is partly due to the recent excursion to the Club World Cup, which has left AC with three games in hand on Inter.

Milan won the Japanese hosted tournament at a canter, to claim the title of the world's best team (stop that sniggering at the back please). Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, Inter have been actually playing like the premier team on the planet, sweeping aside all that is put in front of them with elegant ease. They now enjoy a seven point lead over Roma and the title seems to be staying with Inter.

So, with Inter playing their best football in years and AC in the bottom half of the table, the result would seem a foregone conclusion. Yet, this is never the way in derby games and though Inter won both games at the San Siro last season, they were both tight affairs. In a total of 168 Serie A games played between the two rivals, Inter have won 60, with 52 draws and 56 wins for Milan. Despite various fluctuations in supremacy and bragging rights, the honours have been largely, evenly shared.

AC Milan are undoubtedly a team on their last legs, that needs rebuilding. The announcement of the forthcoming retirement of the great Paolo Maldini, sums up their situation. Maldini claimed this week that he is satisfied with his achievements. In short, there is nothing else for him to win. This weary attitude is reflected throughout the team and they only really seem able to rouse themselves for the really big games.

But games don't come any bigger than this one, which is why you can't write AC Milan off. Having said that, given the teams respective form, [2.34] for an Inter win seems generous, with the draw at [3.15] and Milan at [3.7]. Unlike most matches in Italy, this match promises fireworks on the pitch, as well as in the stands.