Milan, the only city to have two European champion clubs, will have one of its teams in the final on June 10 in Istanbul, against Manchester City or Real Madrid.
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It remains to be seen whether it will be the 'Rossonero' team, owner of seven Champions League titles (the last in 2007), or the 'Nerazzurri', three-time champions (the last in 2010).
If the other semi-final between Pep Guardiola's City and Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid perhaps pits the two best teams in terms of play face to face, the 'Derby della Madonnina' is a high point of passion and history between two great rivals, who face each other for the 236th time.
“It's not a classic, it's 'the classic'. We know what it represents for the club, for the players, for the fans”, recalled Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.
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In the Champions League, the two rivals have already faced each other on four occasions, but the last time was almost 20 years ago, when the Italian Serie A had the biggest stars in football.
Inter in good form
In 2003, it was in the semi-finals: Milan qualified thanks to a goal scored as a visitor (0-0, 1-1), something somewhat ironic because the two teams share the same stadium, San Siro or Giuseppe Meazza, depending on which team is in charge.
Another 100% Milanese clash in the Champions League was in 2005, with the sad memory of the flare thrown by Interista fans that hit the goalkeeper's head, a game that was interrupted and ended with Milan qualifying, which they had won 2-0 on the way.
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Ancelotti was the Milan coach who confirmed the Rossoneri's hegemony in Europe in these four duels. No wonder, Milan is the second biggest winner of the Champions League, behind only Real Madrid with its 14 titles.
But will the weight of history be enough against Inter Milan's confidence?
Inzaghi's team won both classics played in 2023, eliminating Milan from the Italian Super Cup (3-0) in January, before winning the second round of the Italian Championship (1-0).
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Despite a season with ups and downs, the Nerazzurri have always responded in this Champions League, going through a difficult group with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, both already eliminated.
Rafael Leão is doubtful
Inter is enjoying a good moment at the end of the season, with a series of five wins across all competitions, having beaten Juventus, Lazio and Roma, scoring 15 goals.
Romelu Lukaku is on target with five goals since the beginning of April, and has regained his rapport with Argentine Lautaro Martínez.
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Milan, in turn, may not be able to count on their main offensive player, Portuguese striker Rafael Leão, who last Saturday had to be substituted against Lazio with pain in his right thigh.
“He will try to force it (Wednesday morning) and we will decide what to do”, explained coach Stefano Pioli, who knows that his team is not the same without Leão: the 'Rossoneri' have only won one game out of the ten in which the Portuguese was not a starter.
Leão was decisive in the Champions League quarter-finals against Napoli, with an assist in the first game (1-0) and another in the return leg after a fantastic run (1-1).
Milan will need to improve their game at an uncertain end of the season, in which they can dream of winning the Champions League, but cannot neglect themselves in the Italian Championship to guarantee a place in the main European competition next season.
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