AC-Inter: One of the Greatest Rivalries in Sports Renews Sunday

In 1899, AC Milan was founded by a small group of men, led by Englishmen Herbert Kilpin and Alfred Edwards. Nine years later, a dispute within the club about the purchase of foreign players erupted. A group of Swiss members of the club were upset with the number of Italian players in the club. They split and formed FC Internazionale Milano.

With the founding of Inter and their immediate success as well as the continued success of AC Milan, added in of course with the bitter split, one of sport's greatest rivalries was born.

For over 100 years, the Derby della Madonnina, the bitter matchup between AC Milan and Inter Milan, has been one of the most anticipated, highly contested, dividing, and entertaining rivalries in all of sports. Very few can match their intensity. In the film Green Street Hooligans, when asked if the West Ham-Milwall rivalry was comparable to the Red Sox and Yankees (the greatest rivalry in baseball and arguably any sports league in the United States), a character responded by saying it's "more like the Israelis and the Palestinians."

The same could be said of the Milan Derby.

The comparison seems oddly fitting. After all, Israel and Palestine are divided by a mere border. The Curva Sud and the Curva Nord are separated by a pitch. Supporters are sometimes separated by nothing more than a wall in a house, or even a couple inches on a bed. This game pauses friendships, divides families, splits offices. This is what soccer is all about.

The rivalry has no shortage of history and meaning.

In addition to the breakup and the fact that they share a city (and since 1947, a stadium), there is also the baggage of AC Milan representing the working class and Inter having more support from the bourgeoisie; the fact that the rivalry divides families, friends, and colleagues; and the long list of talented squads they constantly threw at each other.

Many of the world's best players have worn the colors of both teams at one point or another in their career. Giuseppe Meazza, Christian Panucci, Clarence Seedorf, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Roberto Baggio, Patrick Viera, Andrea Pirlo, Dario Simic, Ronaldo, and Hernan Crespo, among others, have all worn both the red and black of AC and the blue and black of Inter.

Add in the 17 Italian titles for AC and 18 for Inter, the occasional matchup in the Champions League, and all the other thrilling matches and title fights head to head, this is truly one of the greatest rivalries in any sport.

This Sunday, the Derby della Madonnina returns to be the jewel of the football world for a night, as two of the world's greatest clubs will meet on their home ground for their first meeting of the 2010-2011 Italian championship.

AC comes in on a high, as Massimiliano Allegri seems to have finally figured out how to manage his Rossoneri, as they are in first place for the second time this season, the first time since their opening win over Lecce, after Round 11.

Newcomers Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Mario Yepes have been crucial to the Rossoneri of late, as each has stepped in and played very well. Massimo Ambrosini, Mathieu Flamini, Clarence Seedorf, Alexandre Pato, Filippo Inzaghi, Ignazio Abate, Luca Antonini, and Thiago Silva have all been in top form of late.

Inter and new manager Rafael Benitez may only be three points off the pace, but the quality is not what it has been from the five-time defending champions. The Champions League winners are plagued with injuries as well. Walter Samuel is now out for the season. Julio Caesar, Esteban Cambiasso, McDonald Mariga, Thiago Motta, Dejan Stankovic and Sulley Muntari have also been affected by injuries as of late. Wesley Sneijder admitted to suffering from anemia, but said he was okay a few days ago. He ended up missing the draw against Lecce on Wednesday. His status for Sunday is unknown.

AC seems to be clear of injuries for the moment, as Massimo Ambrosini, Thiago Silva, Luca Antonini, and Ignazio Abate are all healthy despite recent injuries that have forced them to leave matches. Mathieu Flamini has returned to play very well since being injured in the summer.

However, both Alexandre Pato and Filippo Inzaghi left the match on Wednesday against Palermo with injuries. Inzaghi had replaced Pato 15 minutes before he was forced off. This leaves AC Milan thin on the attack. Their status for Sunday is not yet known.

AC will surely want to unleash two former Nerrazuri on their old team on Sunday. Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both played well on Wednesday and will be riding that momentum into the derby. Seedorf led the play through the midfield in the trequartista role while Ibrahimovic netted his 100th goal for an Italian club, his eighth for Milan. He had 66 for Inter after scoring 26 for both Milan and Inter's second biggest rival, Juventus.

For both coaches, Massimiliano Allegri of AC Milan and Rafa Benitez of Inter, this will be their first Milan Derby.

Three players are expected to play for AC who have worn both the red and blue. Clarence Seedorf (1999-2002), Andrea Pirlo (1998-2001), and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2006-2009) all spent a portion of their career at Inter. Seedorf and Pirlo both made the switch directly to the opposite locker room, while Ibrahimovic spent last season at Barcelona.

AC Milan will be looking to break a cold streak against their rivals. They have not defeated Inter since September 2008, with Inter winning the last three. Last season, the Nerrazuri won 4-0 and 2-0 respectively.

This weekend's derby should prove to be much better than others in the recent past. Inter have had the upper hand for each of the last three meetings, but this is a new AC Milan team. Mixing the old with the new, Massimiliano Allegri finally has his players playing like the Scudetto-winning team everybody saw in them before the start of the season. They are starting to find the net regularly and the defense is starting to prove reliable. The challenge will be to keep from slowing down after scoring. If they stay energized rather than relaxed, AC can defeat the injury-laden Inter Milan side that has not been playing like the Inter of recent years this season.

Milan have a golden opportunity to silence their critics on Sunday and a chance to prove they belong in the Scudetto talks. A win will make them the team to beat. Look for the Rossoneri to be ready to live up to the challenge of being named the team to beat.