Pioli removes Leao. Inzaghi chooses Dzeko, Lukaku on the bench – Corriere.it

The formations officers
INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro, Dzeko.
MILAN (3-5-2): Russian; Kalulu, Kjaer, Cage; Calabria, Messias, Tonali, Krunic, Theo Hernandez; Giroud, Origi.

Confirmed the indications of the eve: in Inter Inzaghi leaves Lukaku out, Dzeko plays with Lautaro Martinez. In Milan Pioli changes form: Rossoneri on the pitch with a 3-5-2, Leao on the bench.

Inter has arrived at the stadium. The players will soon start warming up on the pitch. The official lineups are coming.

There is just over an hour left until the kick-off for the Milan derby, crucial for the season for Inter and Milan. All ready at the San Siro.

Even the locker roomInter is ready to welcome Simone Inzaghi’s team arriving at San Siro.

The changing rooms of Milan ready to welcome players. The teams are arriving at San Siro.

(Carlos Passerini) Exactly one year ago, on February 5, 2022, Giroud turned around by turning the derby and the championship upside down. The anniversary is obviously intriguing, so much so that Pioli himself yesterday referred to that night’s show, evoking the spirit that allowed the Rossoneri to come back and win, but it is clear that the amarcord will not be enough to repeat the feat. The only thing is that Milan will finally find themselves. That’s why, to face an eve full of ghosts and to better prepare for the derby of hope, Pioli has chosen not the usual comfortable hotel in the San Siro area but the dear old Milanello, the real home of the Devil, with its stories, his cups, his photos, his sense of history. It certainly doesn’t hurt.

(Paolo Tomaselli) The stress of the past few days seems almost all on account of Skriniar, because his “I go now or I go in June” to PSG (even if the defender was certainly not the only actor on stage) has already cost him an expulsion with Empoli in the last performance at San Siro. Without forgetting that even in September, after the summer push and pull, the Slovakian had struggled to tune in, playing some unconvincing games. Tonight, after missing the challenge against Atalanta on the last day of the transfer market, Skriniar will return in his place for his last derby. Without the captain’s armband, which was due to him for the highest number of appearances after the substitute Handanovic and which today will be Lautaro’s: «I don’t judge the choices but the man and the player, who are unique – explains Inzaghi speaking of his defender -. He is a splendid boy who works very well. He will most likely be from the match, he will no longer be the captain, but we talked about it calmly with him and the club».

(Carlos Passerini) In addition to the 4-3-3, On Saturday Pioli also tried a 3-5-2 , with Giroud and Origi up front. In the event of a move to the three-man defense, Kjaer, Kalulu and Gabbia would play while Calabria and Theo Hernandez would move on the flanks. In midfield, the novelty should still be Messias, while in attack there would be the (sensational) exclusion of Rafael Leao. That in any case he is the key man of this Milan. This morning the final decision will be finalised.

(Carlos Passerini) It was supposed to be the rematch derby, it has become the derby of hope. After the sensational 0-3 draw eighteen days ago in the Super Cup, there was one and only thought in the heads of the AC Milan supporters: revenge in tonight’s duel on the Interisti’s mockery of the bitter night in Riyadh. But then it happened that the AC Milan crisis went from serious to very serious: with Lazio there were four goals, with Sassuolo even five. Result: tonight the championship derby takes on the appearance of the lifesaver of the season, to be caught at all costs, in any way, even with a suffered draw, to avoid going to the bottom, compromising the only real objective left, namely the Champions League placement. Stefano Pioli also admits it, bluntly: «The criticisms are not excessive, on the contrary, they are all there. But we’re not finished, only now we have to prove it.”

Meanwhile, Torino beat Udinese 1-0 on matchday 21 and overtook them in the standings, in seventh place. In the first 45′ it is Juric’s team that plays the game, while Sottil’s closes and tries to restart leaning on the physicality of Beto and Success. The first opportunity for the grenade came in the 24th minute, with Buongiorno’s imprecise header — a dunk — following a Karamoh cross. In the end of time it was the number 7 grenade who made himself dangerous on two occasions, first with a shot from close range and then with a volley from Ola Aina’s cross, but in both cases Silvestri was ready and rejected .

These are Simon’s words Inzaghi on the eve: «We have played many derbies and they are always different – ​​explains the coach of the’Inter —. Those of the Cup have allowed us to win two important trophies. Those in the championship were disappointments, so you have to face them with the right concentration, always trying to be balanced because you risk arriving at the race with a lot of spent mental energy. I certainly don’t expect a subdued Milan: I respect them a lot.”

(Paolo Tomaselli) Derby night and full moon night, those marked on the astronomer’s calendar for their luminosity. How much light does Inter’s moon give off is always a good question, because the clouds haven’t been lacking even in this last month, brightly lit by the victories over Napoli, Milan and Atalanta. However, the team that has lost six games in the league is finding continuity at least in the big challenges, those that he promptly lost at the beginning of the season, including the derby at the beginning of September. This is no small novelty for Simone Inzaghi, above all if one considers his record in the duels with Milan, which is balanced (2 wins, 2 defeats, 2 draws), but not entirely, given that for him in the league there are still victories on the Nerazzurri bench. The moment for the first derby won in Serie A, needless to go around it, is here and now, exactly twelve months after the one reversed in three minutes by Giroud at the end.

(Alessandro Bocci) Apparently the weight of the third and last derby of the season is all on Stefano’s shoulders Pegs. But also Simon Inzaghi he has a lot to lose in the duel that last year, precisely on February 5, had directed the sprint for the Scudetto in favor of Milan and which now smacks of much, too much, of pure and simple consolation. Napoli flew away, solid and unreachable. Milan scrambles through a ranking that looks like a dress bought one size smaller. Pioli must stem a crisis that threatens to crush him. Inzaghi has to manage the pressure from the favourite and be careful not to open the door to old ghosts again. They are measured 18 days after the Super Cup in Riyadh, which gave courage, security and a trophy to Inter and opened the abyss under Milan’s feet. A team, the Rossoneri, which suddenly disappeared when it seemed ready to become the most credible alternative to the Spalpattians. And instead from the end of the match against Roma, the Devil’s season turned upside down.

Stefano Pioli has many doubts on the eve of the derby: the AC Milan coach is thought to be thinking about new formations. One even plans to keep Leao out, switching to a 3-5-2 and launching the Giroud-Origi duo in front. HERE the complete article.