MY ACCOUNT
Inter Milan and AC Milan have been difficult to separate this season.
The pair are not only battling it out for Serie A glory but have the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final to contest on Tuesday, with honours even after a goalless draw in the first leg.
Inter went clear at the top of the table and looked like retaining the title with ease before a run of one win in seven across February and March saw them drop back.
But Milan’s back-to-back goalless draws against Bologna and Torino have handed the initiative back to their rivals, who are two points behind with a game in hand.
Inter have the better goal difference comfortably, with the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 24 times.
However, their expected goals allowed tally indicates they may have been a touch fortunate in this regard, having allowed 33.3.
Simone Inzaghi’s side are also top scorers in the division but there has been no fluke about that, finding the net 65 times and racking up 63.9 expected goals across 31 games.
Milan have scored fewer times and conceded more than their rivals.
But their strong away form has propelled them to a title challenge, with 11 wins, four draws and just one defeat on the road.
Inter have managed eight wins, six draws, and a solitary loss in their 15 away games.
Milan have tended to spread their goals around more evenly than their city rivals, with no player reaching double figures but 11 individuals finding the scoresheet more than once for Stefano Pioli’s men in Serie A.
In contrast, Lauturo Martinez and Edin Dzeko have led the charge for Inter with 14 and 13 goals, respectively.
The pair have similar shots per game numbers but Inter have found the target with a lot more regularity, with 6.4 shots on target per game to Milan’s 4.8.
Another point on which they differ is dribbling, with the tricky Rafael Leao helping Milan top the table with 11.8 dribbles per 90 minutes.
In contrast, Inter are second-bottom for this statistic with just 6.5 per game.
Milan’s combative defence and midfield, in particular Fikayo Tomori, Franck Kessie and Sandro Tonali, mean they average 17.8 tackles per game to Inter’s 15.9.
With the title race nearing its conclusion, Milan chasing their first Scudetto since 2010-11 and Inter looking to retain it, the Red and Blacks need to rediscover their scoring touch having netted just four times in their six games.
For Inter, the key will be retaining their excellent recent defensive record that has seen them keep four clean sheets in their last six.
And all eyes will be on Inter’s trip to Spezia tonight before Milan host Genoa.
While those games will not decide the title race, they could go some way to determining who will lift the trophy at the end of the season.
