Inter and Milan face high-stakes showdown in Coppa Italia drama | OneFootball

Tied on aggregate (1-1) after a very intense first leg, Inter and Milan will meet for the fifth and final time this season in a breathtaking Coppa Italia semi-final. The winner of this clash will eventually be the favorite for the big decider against Bologna or Empoli in a one-off match.

Inter try to maintain chances of treble this season

Lautaro Martinez | Giuseppe Cottini/GettyImages

Inter Milan have one of the best teams in European soccer today, but have yet to beat rivals AC Milan in four games this season. In the first leg, Simone Inzhaghi's side dominated the action, but came up short against goalkeeper Mike Maignan. A win in the semi-finals will be crucial if the team is to continue their pursuit of the triple crown, winning Serie A, the Champions League and the Italian Cup - not to mention the new FIFA Club World Cup.

Simone Inzaghi's side qualified for this semi-final by beating Udinese in the round of 16 and then eliminating Lazio before reaching the clash against Milan. The team needs a quick reaction after conceding a goal against Bologna at the weekend, leaving them level on 71 points at the top of Serie A and in spectacular contention for the title.

Due to the large number of games on the schedule, Simone Inzaghi will have to be careful when thinking about the line-up due to the decisive clash against Roma at the weekend and the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona. Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan should start in the starting line-up, but Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski are likely to miss out through injury, while Marcus Thuram's presence is doubtful.

Milan seek to maintain unbeaten run against their rivals this season

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With their sights set on a title this season, Milan are looking to win another Coppa Italia trophy after a 22-year title drought. Under Sergio Conceicao, the team had a solid campaign in the competition, starting with a 6-1 thrashing of Sassuolo, before eliminating Roma in a derby in the quarter-finals with two goals from Abraham.

Despite their problems in Serie A, Milan have already achieved significant results during the season, including winning the Italian Super Cup in January. However, such a glorious start for Sergio Conceicao has lost momentum, with Milan slipping to ninth in the Serie A standings after another setback on Sunday. In addition, the statistic of only one goal scored in the last 10 games is worrying.

Santiago Giménez recently returned to regular training and made an appearance at the end of the match against Atalanta, so he'll probably occupy the bench. Sergio Conceição will probably use a 3-4-3 formation in the derby, with Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic battling for a place in the starting line-up.