Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini takes on his old friend Sinisa Mihajlovic this weekend, as La Beneamata face AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina at San Siro on Sunday.
Inter go into the game on the back of two opening league victories, while Milan are still seeking to establish some decent footing under their new coach.
Inter Milan
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This weekend's edition of the derby perhaps presents the first time in the past few seasons where both Milan clubs could finally have a say in the outcome of the Scudetto.
Mancini's charges come into this clash off the back of two consecutive victories in their opening games, albeit coming against Carpi and Atalanta.
Both sides have invested heavily over the summer, and Mancini has already seen real dividends from a number of his summer moves.
Manchester City loanee Stefan Jovetic grabbed the winning goal in the club's opening-day victory over Atalanta, before going on to score a brace against Carpi to seal a vital away victory for the Nerazzurri.
La Beneamata have also been boosted by the additions of midfielders Felipe Melo and Ivan Perisic, as well as Geoffrey Kondogbia, who looked set to sign for fierce rivals Milan at one point during the window.
With Juventus faltering early on and Roma fairly unpredictable, a strong start to the campaign for Inter could see them move into a commanding position to battle for the title.
Achieving victory against Milan on Sunday would surely go on to boost an already excited fanbase eager to restore the Serie A crown to a trophy cabinet that has been rather barren of late.
Recent form: WW
AC Milan
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Milan have arguably been suffering in the wilderness of Serie A in recent years, with the Rossoneri failing to claim a title since 2011.
Mihajlovic was installed over the summer in an attempt to lift the club back to its former glories, and the new coach has already sought to shake things up in the Italian capital.
AC have brought in a number of additions over the summer, but three standout deals have come in the shape of forward Carlos Bacca, defender Alessio Romagnoli and the late arrival of mercurial talent Mario Balotelli.
Mihajlovic did not have the best of starts to the new campaign, after his side fell to a poor defeat at the hands of potential contenders Fiorentina.
The club did, however, manage to bounce straight back to beat Empoli at home, thanks to goals from Bacca and Luiz Adriano.
Should Milan want to put themselves in a position to beat Inter, they might need to solve the issue surrounding who is best suited to filling the trequartista role, following some rather unsuccessful gambles with Suso.
One major fact that Milan fans will be aware of on Sunday is that Inter have remained unbeaten in 10 of the last 11 matches when the Nerazzurri have been listed as the home side in the derby.
Recent form: LW
Team News
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Following the departure of Hernanes late in the window, it appears as though Mancini will now consistently opt for a four-three-three formation that uses Perisic and Stevan Jovetic working alongside frontman Mauro Icardi.
Gary Medel, Marcelo Brozovic and Kondogbia are expected to make up an industrious three-man midfield, while incoming loanee Adem Ljajic could be introduced to provide some width later on in the encounter.
Inter will, however, be missing the injured trio of Miranda, Nemanja Vidic and Dodo.
As for AC, Andrea Bertolacci is injured and is likely to miss out, meaning that either Juraj Kucka or Riccardo Montolivo will start in the centre of midfield. Other notable absentees from Milan's side will include M'Baye Niang, Jeremy Menez and Luca Antonelli, who are all missing through injury.
Having failed to seal a move away from the club, Japan's Keisuke Honda could move into the anchorman role just behind the striker in order to provide support to Adriano and Bacca.
Milan fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing Balotelli once again, but it is thought that Mihajlovic will only introduce the forward in the latter stages of the game.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Jesus, Santon, Murillo, Ranocchia; Brozovic, Medel, Kondogbia; Perisic, Jovetic, Icardi
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Abate, Romagnoli, Zapata, Sciglio; Kucka, Jong, Bonaventura; Honda; Adriano, Bacca
Head To Head
AC shaded the sides' most recent encounter, when Philippe Mexes bagged a memorable volley to claim a 1-0 victory during an exhibition game in China.
In Serie A, last season produced two draws between the teams; one a goalless stalemate and the other a hard-fought 1-1 encounter.
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 AC Milan
Mancini has arguably got hold of the better buys in the summer, and his side are coming off the back of two opening wins.
AC are still to figure out a few things going forward and could come unstuck against an improving Inter defence. Mancini's side also have an in-form Jovetic and a man in Icardi who is a tireless threat in and around the area.
Christopher Dodd
