Inter Vs AC Milan its make or break time

By European Football
February 26 2005

Its not often I do match previews, I try not to make a habit of them because covering Europe, I would find time to do little else but the Derby della Madonnina is different,

this year more than most, because this year both teams still have a realistic chance of staying in the Scudetto race with a win.

Inter would have the hardest task of winning a championship being 11 points behind the joint leaders and will have something to prove after last weeks disappointing 1-1 draw with Udinese.

Inter’s star man Adriano is still a bit shy of his best form, with the after effects of a calf strain still obviously troubling the player, while Christian Vieri’s bruised ribs could see him clear the path for Obafemi Martins, which might just prove crucial for Inter as Martins offers pace that Vieri doesn’t.

In contrast to Inter the Rossoneri have continued to heap pressure on Juventus, all be it often with scrapped and lucky wins against Lazio, Reggina and Cagliari, but they won’t care how lucky the wins were, only that they allowed them to close an 8 point gap on leaders Juventus.

But if they are going to get a derby day victory they will have to do it without Andriy Shevchenko, who’s clash of heads with Cagliari’s Simone Loria, left the Milan player with a fractured cheekbone, which will keep him out for a month.

Add this to the continued absence of Filippo Inzaghi and the suspension of Giuseppe Pancaro, means we are likely to see Carlo Ancelotti revert back to his favoured Christmas tree formation, despite Silvio Berlusconi’s thoughts on the matter.

My prediction: 1-1.