Derby Della Madonnina: Inter Milan Renew Rivalries With AC Milan As Napoli Runs Away With Scudetto

• Inter Milan will renew their rivalry with AC Milan in a crunch Milan derby at the San Siro
• AC Milan have lost their way in recent weeks while Inter sit second on the table
• The reverse league fixture ended in AC Milan's favour thanks to Rafael Leao's masterclass

The Derby della Madonnina is one of the oldest derbies in world football. It is held in the same breath as the North London derby or the Manchester derby in England.

Their meeting on Sunday, February 5th, will be feisty as usual but a lot won't be at stake like in the past two seasons. Inter won the Scudetto in 2021 before their same-stadia rivals beat them to it last season.

This season, however, there is a new sheriff in town that has thwarted every club so far. Luciano Spalletti's Napoli currently hold a sizeable lead at the top of the table. Barring any major misfortunes, they are on course to winning their first title since 1990.

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AC Milan's poor results

AC Milan will be out to stem a flow of bad results that has seen them record only one victory in their last five games. In the period, they have also lost to Inter in the Super Cup where they were convincingly beaten in Riyadh.

Inter meanwhile have blown hot and cold under Simone Inzaghi this season but they will be the favourites heading into the late evening clash. They are currently second on the log, 13 points adrift of Napoli.

Talking points

Anyone who watched Stefano Piloi's side last season will agree that standards have dipped greatly. Rafael Leao and Oliver Giroud have failed to get it going up front after the World Cup break. The prolonged absence of Mike Maignan has made the Rossoneri susceptible at the back.

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They also failed to replace Frank Kessie once he left for Barcelona. Many Serie A teams thrive with an aggressive midfielder running the show. Good case in point is André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. The Cameroonian has marshalled Napoli's midfield this season.

Lukaku's struggles

On the other hand, Romelu Lukaku has struggled to replicate his standards during their title-winning season. Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko have chipped in with crucial goals as Inter ponder over the Belgian's future.

For AC Milan, this presents the best opportunity to get their season back under control. They have a matchup against Spurs in the Champions League and Harry Kane would relish to have a go against the current team.