AC MILAN v INTER: FUN FACTS

The Rossoneri are inching closer to being stars again in the Champions League. This time - again at San Siro - it will be the double semi-final fixture against Inter, all in six days. On the eve of the appointment, scheduled for Wednesday 10 May at 21.00 CEST, let's check out the main Rossoneri stats and facts ahead of the match:

BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE
The Rossoneri will face an Italian opponent in Europe's top competition for the fifth time: they have made it through or won the trophy in all the previous four. This will also be the second time in history that two Italian sides have faced each other at this stage of the tournament - previously it had only happened in 2002/03, with AC Milan getting the better of Inter after two legs. Widening the horizon to all stages, the Rossoneri are unbeaten against the Nerazzurri in the Champions League, thanks to two draws and two wins - in these matches, AC Milan have kept a clean sheet on three occasions. Considering all competitions, the most frequent scoreline in matches between the two sides is 1-1, the final score of 33 meetings - including one of the two 2002/03 UEFA Champions League semi-final matches. For the first time in their history, AC Milan and Inter will face each other five times in a single season.

OFFENSIVE INSIGHTS
Olivier Giroud has scored one of his five braces for AC Milan against Inter, in the 2-1 win that allowed the Rossoneri to begin their ride to the 2021/22 Scudetto. Rafael Leão, on the other hand, has contributed to three goals in a single match once in an AC Milan shirt: on 3 September 2022 in the league against Inter (two goals and an assist on that occasion). The two oldest players in the top five European leagues who have participated in at least 10 goals in the 2022/23 season are Edin Dzeko and Oliver Giroud - both born in 1986.

DRIBBLING AND PRESSING
Rafael Leão has completed 37 successful dribbles this Champions League season: a record for an AC Milan player in a single edition since Kaká in 2004/05 (also 37). Furthermore, Leão has accounted for 40.2% of his team's total successful dribbles in the competition this season (37/92): the highest percentage of any player. Moving back to the midfield, Sandro Tonali is the player with the most pressures (815) in this Champions League, as well as being first in terms of pressures exerted in the middle of the pitch (419). In addition, AC Milan is the team that has applied the most total pressures in the central third (2,062) in the competition this season.

DEFENSIVE SOLIDITY
AC Milan have lost only one of their previous six Champions League semi-finals at San Siro (4W, 1D),  0-1 against Barcelona in the 2005/06 first leg. In that match, AC Milan conceded the only goal in those six games as the host side, having kept a clean sheet in each of the other five. The Rossoneri have conceded just one goal in their last six Champions League matches, the one conceded in the 93rd minute against Napoli in the last round. In those six comparisons, Coach Pioli's men have also faced 86 shots - 27 of them on target - with an xG against of 6.8, despite conceding only one goal.

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