AC Milan vs. Inter Milan: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
The preparation for the new season begins in earnest for AC Milan and Inter as they come together for a preseason edition of the Derby della Madonnina to open the Chinese portion of the 2015 International Champions Cup.
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 8 p.m. local time, 7:55 a.m. EDT
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Venue: Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen, China
TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.)
Preamble
Preseason preparations have begun for both of the big Milan clubs.
Milan started the season with a pair of games against smaller teams before breaking into competition with bigger boys. A pair of 5-1 victories against Eccellenza sides Alcione and Legnano were at once heartening and distressing. Some players who will be key factors, like Alessio Cerci, Hachim Mastour and M'Baye Niang, scored goals.
On the other hand, Milan's disappointing defense showed its warts both games. Both Alcione and Legnano took leads within 10 minutes before the Rossoneri finally subdued them.
When they finally faced more significant competition against Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade de Gerland last week, they looked like they would be leaving with a creditable 1-1 draw after scoring with 15 minutes left. However, Alexandre Lacazette had Lyon back in front within three minutes after the Milan defense failed to keep tracking him after he went to ground.
Inter, on the other hand, started the year with opposition that was somewhat tougher. Their first preseason match was against German third-division side Stuttgarter Kickers, and they were up 4-0 within half an hour. They looked to be in cruise control, but about 10 minutes into the second half the German side came back with a roar, and Inter ended up holding off a furious comeback to win 4-3.
Four days later, they met Serie A newcomers Carpi. An early goal from Rodrigo Palacio was equalized by Kevin Lasagna (what a name!), but from there on Inter controlled, walking out 4-2 winners. They then made the step up themselves, taking on Bayern Munich and falling 1-0 on a late goal by Mario Gotze.
Form Lines
| Milan | Inter |
| W 3-0 vs Torino | L 3-2 @ Genoa |
| W 3-1 @ Atalanta | W 4-3 vs Empoli |
| W 5-1 vs Alcione* | W 4-3 vs Stuttgarter Kickers* |
| W 5-1 vs Legnano* | W 4-2 vs Carpi* |
| L 2-1 @ Lyon* | L 1-0 vs Bayern Munich* |
*Preseason friendly
Projected Formations
| Milan | Inter |
| Lopez | Handanovic |
| Abate Alex Paletta Antonelli | D'Ambrosio Ranocchia Miranda Montoya |
De Jong Montolivo Bertolacci Honda | Kondogbia Hernanes Medel Kovacic |
| Cerci Bacca | Palacio Icardi |
Players to Watch
Both clubs pursued Geoffrey Kondogbia this summer, and for a time it looked like Milan had a deal with the former Monaco midfielder. But then their bid fell apart, and, adding insult to injury, the player ended up signing across town.
Kondogbia has said several times that a conversation with Roberto Mancini was what convinced him to sign at Inter, and the Nerazzuri manager certainly managed to snare a huge signing. The 22-year old is a good passer and an excellent defender. His play against Arsenal and Juventus in the knockout phases of the Champions League put him on the radar as a major prospect.
If he can develop the attacking game to go with his other skills, he will turn into the kind of complete midfielder that have made the likes of Yaya Toure, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal such big names in this game. On Saturday he'll have one of his first chances to truly show Inter's fans what they bought—and what Milan lost out on.
Milan is also going to break out a marquee signing.
Carlos Bacca gave up the prospect of Champions League soccer with Sevilla to sign for the Rossoneri this summer. The team has been without a true center-forward since the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Bacca—who was fifth on the scoring charts in La Liga last year—will have huge pressure to produce the kind of scoring that Mattia Destro and Giampaolo Pazzini couldn't last year.
The Colombian is more of a poacher than a creator, so much of his performance will be dependent on the kind of service he gets from his midfield and strike partner. If he does get the opportunities, he's shown over the last two seasons that he knows how to put them away consistently, unlike the men who have occupied the center-forward slot since 2012. Look for him to get off to a positive start with his new club.
Key Matchup
Preseason tournaments such as this often see a lot of changes in the second half, so matchups are continually in flux. But one major matchup to watch will come from two newcomers.
Bacca will be locking horns with another of Inter's summer imports. Brazilian defender Miranda has spent the last few years as one of the rocks of Atletico Madrid's revival under Diego Simeone. Last year WhoScored.com clocked him at 2 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per match in all competitions. Needing to upgrade their back line after the Nemanja Vidic experiment seemingly failed, Inter targeted the defender early and signed him with little difficulty.
A solid all-around defender, Miranda's only real weakness is his passing. That means the team will have to rely on Andrea Ranocchia if they need to build from the back. But with the rest of his defensive teammates—including captain Ranocchia—shaky at best, his performance against Bacca—who he has played against multiple times over the last few years in Spain and internationally—will go a long way towards discovering how much Inter have improved their defense.
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