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Cristian Chivu is preparing for his first Derby della Madonnina, having taken over Inter in the summer, and the pressure will definitely be on against AC Milan.
Inter have started the season very well with 24 points after 11 games, currently sitting at the top of the standings. However, it could have been even better for the Nerazzurri if they had been stronger in the bigger games, losing against Juventus and Napoli.
The issues were mostly seen at the start of the season, though, and they have seemingly found a groove now. The question, as such, is whether Milan and Massimiliano Allegri can disrupt their good run of form tomorrow at San Siro.
Inter in 2025-26
➤ Manager: Cristian Chivu
➤ Form (all comps): L-W-W-W-W
➤ Top scorer (Serie A): Hakan Calhanoglu – 5
➤ Most assists (Serie A): Federico Dimarco – 4
➤ Injuries & suspensions: Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Denzel Dumfries
Following what was a disappointing 2024-25 season, failing to win a single trophy, Inter parted ways with Simone Inzaghi. It was the end of an era in many ways for the Nerazzurri who, instead of going for an experienced name, appointed Cristian Chivu as their new head coach.
The Romanian had just guided Parma to safety in Serie A, hired by the Gialloblu in February to salvage the situation, and Inter were impressed with what they saw. On top of that, Chivu was the manager of Inter’s Primavera side between 2021 and 2024.
In short, while Inter definitely went against the norm in the summer (Milan took Allegri, Roma took Gian Piero Gasperini, and Napoli retained Antonio Conte), it wasn’t completely out of the blue. The situation was also ‘made better’ by the fact that they kept a lot of their stars over the summer.
Nicola Zalewski, Benjamin Pavard, Mehdi Taremi and Joaquin Correa were the most notable departures, which says a lot. Furthermore, the likes of Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Andy Diouf, Petar Sucic and Manuel Akanji were brought in to strengthen the team.
The easy conclusion here is that Inter have remained more or less the same, in fact you could even argue the squad is better this time out. And so far, the managerial switch hasn’t affected the performances negatively, meaning they are in a good place.
Shifting focus to the game, Chivu will be able to rely on a strong squad, even if there are two pretty big absences to note: Mkhitaryan and Dumfries. While the former has done well in derbies too, the Dutchman’s absence is the biggest blow to Chivu’s plans, without a doubt.
The latest reports suggest that Carlos Augusto will cover for Dumfries, which is interesting as he’s a left-back and left-footed. It at least shows that Inter don’t have full faith in Henrique’s defensive abilities. In defence, Yann Aurel Bisseck is also currently favoured over Francesco Acerbi.
Predicted Inter XI (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Augusto, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram.
Predicted bench: Martinez, Taho, De Vrij, Acerbi, Darmian, Luis Henrique, Sucic, Frattesi, Diouf, Bonny, Esposito.
During his press conference on Saturday afternoon, Chivu stated that there are no favourites in the game, responding to Allegri’s comments suggesting the opposite. In short, he knows that it will be a tough game and that Milan have quality, but the same can definitely be said for Inter.
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