The Derby della Madonnina is always a fiery affair. However, with Inter always whining and cheating, it makes it that much more triggering for Milan fans, particularly since Inter got away with murder during Calciopoli (okay, I don't have any evidence of the murder part, it's just a colloquial phrase. But it could have happened.) But this year, the refereeing has been so blatant, in-your-face, egregious, and some other adjectives that haven't even been made up, but will be someday specifically for the scum-sucking lowlife crosstown team, Inter Milan. They are not even trying to hide it. So the very least Milan can do is play so well, the referees will have have absolutely nothing to favor Inter with. "Honest" is an incredibly loose term when it comes to the Nerazzurri, but Milan will be doing their best to keep Inter (and their referee employees) honest.
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| Maignan kept them honest in the last Derby with his penalty save on the Turkish Traitor™. |
For once, Inter actually have had a tougher schedule than Milan. Finally. (Although our old friend Hauge recently helped lighten up their schedule considerably.) Obviously, I have zero sympathy, as a member of the club that has often played the most possible matches per season. They have still been given the most advantageous schedule in terms of dates and times, too, while Milan were forced to play two matches less than 72 hours apart, despite playing only in Serie A. Cry harder, Inter.
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| Never forget. |
Those black and blue bellied snakes played in the Coppa Italia Semifinal first leg on Tuesday. It was a dreary 0-0 draw with Como, a matchup of Chivu and Fabregas, two managers keeping the tradition alive of young managers who directly interfere with matches. For that match, Chivu rested as many players as he could. He started with a 3-4-2-1 lineup with Josep Martínez; Bisseck, Acerbi the Racist™, Bastoni the Reprehensible™, Darmian, Sučić, the Turkish Traitor™, Carlos Augusto, Diouf, Frattesi, and Esposito. For this match, he will be missing Captain Complains-a-lot Lautaro Martínez to injury, and Marcus the Molester™ Thuram is in serious doubt now due to illness.
Meanwhile, Allegri, who has not lost a Derby in more than ten years, will be missing Santi Gimenez, Loftus-Cheek, and Gabbia to injury. Gabbia had a successful emergency surgery this week for an inguinal hernia, and is now set to be out for about four weeks. Bartesaghi has recovered from his injury in Sunday's win over Cremonese, but Estupiñan is still favored to start for fitness reasons.
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| Hang it in the Louvre. |
Aside from that, Allegri has four players who are one card away from suspension: Fofana, Athekame, Rabiot, and Saelemaekers. And while this is the Derby, and we can make up some serious ground with a win, we do face Lazio next week, so he may be mindful of that. Milan have our "Crazy Horse" Rabiot, and it just so happens to be the Year of the Fire Horse now, replacing the Year of the Snake. Good omen? I'll let you decide.
One thing that has been on everyone's mind has been who would referee. But make no mistake, the AIA have sent their best: Doveri will be the head referee, while Abisso and Di Bello will be on VAR. They have to know they will be heavily scrutinized, particularly after Milan's recent call to the AIA with a very valid list of complaints about ways in which refereeing errors, many of which they admitted to, have impacted our season.
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| Absolutely inexcusable from the AIA and from Bastoni the Reprehensible™. Worse that it was our former Kalulu. |
And after the blatant lack of punishment for Bastoni the Reprehnsible™ or their changing of the rules after gifting Parma all three points and literally calling a foul on the exact same player for the exact same foul the following week they told us was not a foul against us, they know that the Marotta League will be fully exposed with any perceived impartiality toward Inter on Sunday. Milan need to keep them honest.
However, Milan are not being honest with themselves. The Curva Sud actually were supposed to be allowed to have a coreografia for this match. They made plans and submitted them to the club for approval. But they never heard back. Until Wednesday, which was too late to do anything. Much like the last Derby, where their Sodalizio Rossonero banner was un-approved at the last minute, they will have no flags, banners, or coreo for the Derby. Again.
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| Milan's Curva Sud deserve so much better. |
And yet Inter will. Again. Funny how that works, since Inter were the club who were actually in bed with the mafia, yet it is Milan's Curva Sud who are constantly slandered and sanctioned instead. Worse still, the club has planned some kind of corporate coreo to color the stadium, setting a horrific precedent in which they drain the passion from our stadium and replace it with mindless, soulless cheerleading. Which is probably why Gerald, fresh from his meeting with Our Supreme Leader, is expected to attend his first Milan match in nearly two years. Yes, he's owned the club for nearly four years, and yet he's making probably his fifth or sixth appearance in those hundreds of matches.
The last time Cardinale was at a Derby, nearly three years ago.
You really cannot make up all of the odds stacked against this team, all of the odds our own club stacks against this team. And yet, no one can predict what will happen in the Derby. People who talk about Inter being 10 points ahead forget that Milan have been robbed of as many points this year by referee errors alone. Inter are without their star striker, but Milan have three important players out, too. Milan won the last Derby, and have been undefeated in the last two years. I honestly don't know what result would be fair, I just want the match to be played fairly for once. I am all about keeping them honest.