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Championship ceremony in Milan? Hell no! – free picks for Milan-Inter
Milan can only have one goal: to prevent Inter from celebrating against them.
The Serie A’s probable runners-up will host the almost certain 1st place in the final match of the 33rd round. The match therefore has no huge stakes in terms of the standings, but prestige and honour could be a bigger factor in the Derby della Madonnina, or Milan-Inter. For free tips on the other match of the day, Roma-Bologna, click here.
The formula is simple, with 6 games to go Inter have a 14-point lead over their city rivals, meaning if the Nerazzurri can win at Milan’s chosen venue they will be champions. Otherwise, it will probably be “at home” against Torino. There can be little else for the Rossoneri to do but delay the celebrations of their city rivals.
Milan needed Juventus’ slip-up in Sardinia to keep Giroud’s side 5 points ahead of the Old Lady with a Juve-Milan clash next week. For that reason alone, Milan need at least a draw, a twin that hasn’t happened in the last five meetings. Inter’s recent dominance has been considerable, and the 5-1 success in the autumn is in itself a cry for a rematch.
“We need to change a lot of things for the derby, and one of the most important is the intensity. We need to step up a level because if we play like we did against Roma on Monday, we won’t stand a chance – and the boys know that,” said Pioli, who stressed that the fans have reminded them how important the derby will be.
After the double defeat against Roma and the 3-3 loss to Sassuolo, the voices calling for the departure of the Tar are once again being heard. A silver medal would not be a bad achievement for Milan, in fact… after the disastrous loss in the Champions League and the elimination from the European League, it wouldn’t be a succesful year to be honest.
Like their city rivals, Inter are also a bit deflated, although 8 points in 4 games is not a bad performance. The Nerazzurri are clearly on a bit of a low gear, but they will have to step up their game at San Siro.
“We can already smell the derby in the air because everyone knows it’s more than just a game. It would be truly historic to celebrate a title against Milan, so we have to be very focused,” said Inter’s Beppe Marotta.
The red and black side of Milan would probably sign a draw right now, as it would put the Martinezes’ calculations through the roof.
Although the stakes are relatively low, we don’t expect alibis or compromises, it’s going to be a tough 90 minutes, which will not be easy from a refereeing point of view.
Best free picks for Milan-Inter
The honour went to Andrea Colombo as the Como referee prepares for his first derby of the season. In 14 championships this season, he has a 6.07 average, which is a massive average – with a 14-point Roma-Napoli being the highlight.
We’re certainly pulling in the classic card bets here, which although not always green in recent years, may now give us even more reason to think this will be a tough Derby della Madonnina.
