Inter and AC Milan Meet in First Milan Derby of the Season
Inter and AC Milan meet at San Siro on Saturday 31 October, in the first Milan derby of the Serie A season. A derby is a match between two local rivals, and this one has extra bite because both clubs come into it unbeaten in the league. Kick-off is at 19:45 GMT.
Inter lead the table with 22 points, four ahead of their city rivals. BBC Sport reports that Inter have won seven of their eight league games and drawn the other. AC Milan have five wins and three draws, which is 18 points from the same number of matches.
AC Milan are managed by Ruben Amorim, and they have a selection problem. BBC Sport says up to eight players could be missing for the game. Injuries and suspensions are a normal part of the season, but eight absentees would stretch any squad. Amorim will have to decide how to shape his team around whoever is available.
The history gives Milan something to hold on to. They have won the last three Milan derbies. They are also unbeaten in seven consecutive derbies against Inter in all competitions, a run that stretches beyond league matches to cup games too.
Fans in the UK can watch on BBC Two. Live coverage is scheduled to begin at 19:40, five minutes before kick-off, and the broadcast is listed at two hours and ten minutes long.
For neutral fans, the appeal is simple. Two sides near the top, a bitter rivalry and a stadium that is shared by both clubs make this one of the most-watched fixtures in Italian football. Whoever wins will move closer to the top of the table, and the loser will have a long week of questions to answer.
