One of the biggest and most passionate footballing derbies in Italy, if not the world, the Derby della Madonnina has arrived, only 4 games into the 2008-09 Serie A season. The fact the two sides share not only a city, but also a stadium fuels the fire within the fans for continued success over the other side, and it is AC Milan whose fans can claim to have been the more successful over the years. In the current climate, however, Inter have dominated domestically, so will be looking to extend that dominance over their biggest rivals.
Sun 19:30 - AC Milan v Inter Milan
Only four games have been played in this years Serie A championship, and already AC Milan are lagging behind their city rivals and reigning champions Inter, who are currently top of the table. The Nerazzuri are unbeaten so far, and have only dropped 2 points. The Rossoneri, on the other hand, have won 2 and lost 2 and are languishing in mid table. After their extremely disappointing season last year, in which they could only manage a spot in the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League, the AC Milan fans will be desperate to get 3 very valuable points over Inter, and try to spark a charge up the table to compete again for domestic honours.
Quite how AC Milan are struggling again this season is a baffling question. With superstars such as Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka and Alessandro Nesta, you would be forgiven for presuming they would be challenging for titles every season. However, like 2007-08, this season has seen the former giants of Italian football play second fiddle to their inner city neighbours. Inter Milan, under the management of the arrogantly self-proclaimed "Special One" Jose Mourinho, also boast an array of formidable talent, in the shape of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ricardo Quaresma, Patrick Vieira among others. It is their strength in depth which makes the side so hard to beat, and this won't change before Sunday. All in all, AC Milan have their work cut out on Sunday night, but then again, they certainly won't make it easy for Inter.
The Derby della Madonnina is one of the most frenzily supported derbies on European football, fuelled mainly by the fact that there is no real 'home advantage'. With both teams' supporters calling the Giuseppe Meazza (aka San Siro) home the stadium gets divided in two - the two sets of hardcore fans sit opposite each other, gauding and taunting their opposition with huge banners and flags, and flares and bangers punctuate the noisy atmosphere.
You can watch the game live at William Hill's Bet Live TV service
AC Milan v Inter Milan 13/8 19/10 6/4
