Serie A - Derby di Milano: Three Points That Could Shape the Scudetto
by Thobelani Moyo | by Thobelani Moyo
Inter Milan are in a closely contested title race
With Napoli picking up three points against Atlanta in a decisive 3-1 home victory on Saturday, this saw Inter Milan fall out of first place into second.
The Italian giant is out to retain that spot with a convincing win against bitter rivals AC Milan in the Derby di Milano.
Their performance in the 2025-26 Serie A campaign has been promising, but not without its flaws. Some would have expected the club to maintain a healthy cushion at the top of the table, but three defeats in 11 games leave them second with 24 points to their name.
In fact, the Nerazzurri are level on points with third-placed Bologna and fourth-placed AS Roma, underscoring the razor-thin margins in the title race.
Last time out, they had no trouble beating Lazio 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny. That marked their third consecutive win.
Lautaro Martinez has his sights on breaking records
Lautaro Martinez joined Inter Milan on 4 July 2018 from Racing Club. The Argentinian and World Cup winner has proven to be a valuable asset in the club's ambitions and goals. He has made 248 appearances and has scored an eye-popping 119 goals in the process.
This Sunday, he could be behind a historic moment in his career by etching his name in Inter's history books. In the Derby di Milano, he has nine goals to his name and is just three shy of matching club legend Giuseppe Meazza's 12 goals.
Lautaro Martinez is three goals away from matching club icon Giuseppe Meazza's 12 goals.
Another record he could break along the way is that of AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko, who, in his playing career, scored 14 goals in the Derby di Milano.
AC Milan could make things interesting
AC Milan have made an unconvincing start to the current Serie A campaign, which explains why they find themselves three points behind the top spot and in fifth place in the league standings.
Head coach Massimiliano Allegri, who is in his second spell with the club, has already acknowledged the fact that the two top sides in the table, Napoli and Inter Milan, are strong favorites to win the title.
However, that doesn't mean I Rossoneri should be ruled out of the Scudetto race with the season still in its early stages. Can the visiting team step up to the plate and cause an upset in this matchup? Check out what our betting experts have to say in our Inter Milan vs AC Milan prediction.
Massimiliano Allegri's men are on an 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions, recording seven wins and four draws.
A disappointing outing last time out against Parma saw them salvage a point in a thrilling 2-2 draw after taking a two-goal lead. That marked their third draw in four matches.
Head-to-Head: Who has the edge?
There have been 244 meetings between these two clubs in the Derby di Milano, meaning Sunday's clash marks the 245th meeting.
Last season, AC Milan defeated Inter Milan 3-0 in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. For the second-mentioned team, this extended their winless run to five matches. Their last taste of victory in this fixture was in April 2024, when they triumphed 2-1 on matchday 33 in Serie A to clinch their 20th Scudetto.
Derby di Milano head-to-head record (across all competitions):
- Inter Milan wins: 91
- AC Milan wins: 82
- Draws: 71
- Inter Milan goals: 341
- AC Milan goals: 322
When it comes to Serie A matches, only the two teams have faced each other 182 times. Inter Milan leads with 70 wins, while Milan has 55, with 57 games ending in a draw.
