MILAN – The Stadio Meazza awaits and expects this evening as one of the biggest games of the season is set to take place: AC Milan v Inter.
It's the second Serie A derby of 2015/16 after the Nerazzurri triumphed 1-0 back in September with Fredy Guarin grabbing the decisive goal.
As we count down the hours to tonight's Week 22 encounter, here's a collection of facts and figures assembled with the help of our friends at Opta.
HEAD TO HEAD
This is the 164th Derby della Madonnina in Serie A. Inter have won 61 of previous league encounters, while there have been 52 draws and 50 Rossoneri victories.
Inter are the team that AC Milan have lost most Serie A games to (61) and conceded the most goals against (225).
In the last seven league derbies, neither side has managed to score more than one goal.
The Rossoneri have emerged victorious from just one of the last nine derbies played in Serie A, drawing three times and losing five.
Inter have won 12 of the last 21 league derbies played since 2005/06, losing half a dozen and drawing just three times (all three coming in the last six games).
The most common scoreline in this fixture in Serie A is 1-1. That's how it has ended 26 times, the most recent in November 2014.
The match has finished goalless 12 times, including the second league meeting last season.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH AC MILAN AT HOME
There's only been one draw in the last ten games when the Rossoneri have been the home side, and that was in the most recent fixture: 1-1 in November 2014 with Menez and Obi on target. There have also been five home wins and four away wins in that period.
No red cards were dished out in the last two Milan Derbies in Serie A with the Rossoneri at home, while eight were produced in the seven meetings before then (five for Inter, three for AC Milan).
FORM BOOK
Sinisa Mihajlovic's AC Milan have earned four points more than Simone Inzaghi's side after the same number of league games (21) in 2014/15.
The Rossoneri have lost just once in their last eight league outings (W3, D4).
AC Milan have conceded four goals in their last seven matches at San Siro, having let in seven in their first three Serie A games this season.
Inter have picked up five points from their last five league fixtures. It's their second dip in form this season after they earned three points from four games in October.
Only one time since 1995 have the Nerazzurri scored fewer goals than they have this season (26) after 21 games: in 2000/01 they had 25 at this stage and went on to finish fifth.
Inter have managed to score more than one goal just three times in the current league campaign, against Carpi, Frosinone and Udinese; however, they have only failed to score twice, against Juve and Sassuolo.
For the first time this season Roberto Mancini's men have been unable to keep a clean sheet for three games in a row.
GENERAL STATS
The Nerazzurri have the best defensive record in Serie A, with just 14 goals conceded in 21 games.
AC Milan have let in 17 goals in the second half of matches in 2015/16 – three more than Inter have conceded over the whole 90 minutes.
Inter, Udinese and Verona are the only Serie A sides yet to score a goal in the first quarter of an hour of play this term. Three of the last four goals conceded by Mancini's men have come in the last five minutes of matches, and two of those in added time.
48% of the goals conceded by the Rossoneri this season (12 of 25) have come from set pieces – a higher percentage than any other team in Serie A.
Only Carpi (one) and Genoa (four) have scored fewer goals than Inter (six) from set plays in the current campaign.
Inter are the only team who haven't conceded a headed goal in the league yet, while AC Milan are one of the most prolific sides from headers (seven goals scored) after Juventus and Palermo (eight apiece).
The Rossoneri haven't scored any goals from open play outside the box yet this season, a record they share with Udinese and Verona.
Inter have not been able to overturn the result when they have found themselves in a losing position in 2015/16 (six times), drawing two and losing four of those games. However, they haven't lost any of the 14 matches in which they have held a lead (W12, D2).
PLAYERS
Giacomo Bonaventura has scored four goals in seven Serie A encounters against Inter, making them his favourite target, but he is yet to score in three derbies against them. Only Insigne (with eight assists) has set up more goals than Bonaventura in the league this season (seven). The AC Milan midfielder also ranks third in the list of chances created (49), behind Hamsik and Borja Valero.
Carlos Bacca has scored in his last two Serie A outings but is yet to hit the net three games running since arriving in Italy. His goal against Empoli – scoring with his first shot on target for the eighth time in nine matches – took his tally for the season into double figures. Bacca has been caught offside more than any other Serie A player this term (31 times).
Mauro Icardi is one goal shy of hitting the half century mark in Serie A after 107 games. The Nerazzurri striker hasn't found the net in his last three games and hasn't gone longer without scoring since a five-match barren stretch in October 2014. AC Milan are one of just two sides (the other being Torino) who Icardi hasn't scored against after playing at least two matches. He has faced the Rossoneri six times (once with Sampdoria) without hitting the net. This season Icardi has eight goals from just 27 shots, giving him the third-best shots-to-goals ratio in Serie A with 29.6%, behind Bacca (34.5%) and Eder (31.6%) among strikers with at least five goals to their name.
Like last season when he went on to score eight goals, Rodrigo Palacio opened his account for the season after 14 league games. El Trenza won the Milan Derby in December 2013 (1-0).
Ivan Perisic hasn't scored in 12 Serie A matches and has taken 19 shots since his last league goal. However, he has set up Icardi's last two goals in Serie A.
Adem Ljajic hasn't had a hand in an Inter goal for six games, after scoring twice and setting up three in his six Serie A matches prior to that. The Serbian has scored one goal against AC Milan in his career: a penalty for Fiorentina in April 2013.
Juraj Kucka scored his first goal for AC Milan against Roma on 9 January. Before then his last league goal was the match-winner in a 3-2 win for Genoa against Inter in May
Riccardo Montolivo is the outfield player who has recovered possession most often (189 times) and intercepted most passes (75) in Serie A this season.
Mario Balotelli came through the Nerazzurri youth academy and won three league titles with Inter from 2007 to 2010, scoring 20 goals in 59 Serie A appearances. He's never scored against his former club in four derbies as an AC Milan player. Four of Balotelli's last six goals for the Rossoneri in all competitions have come from set pieces (two penalties and two free kicks). Balotelli's last goal from open play in Serie A dates back to April 2014: a header against Livorno.
Andrea Poli is another former Inter player: he made 18 appearances for the Nerazzurri in 2011/12.
Samir Handanovic (85%) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (76%) are the two goalkeepers with the highest percentage of saves this season.
COACHES
Sinisa Mihajlovic spent four years at Inter between 2004 and 2008, first as a player and then as Mancini's assistant, having spent much of his playing career with the current Nerazzurri boss at Sampdoria and Lazio.
Sinisa Mihajlovic and Roberto Mancini are meeting for the third time in Serie A today. The Serb lost the reverse fixture 1-0, while last season – in the Samp dugout – he beat Mancini's Inter by the same scoreline.
This is Mihajlovic's 10th meeting with Inter as a coach in Serie A. He has won just two games so far, losing six and drawing one.
Roberto Mancini has not lost to the Rossoneri in Serie A since returning to the Inter dugout before the Milan Derby of 14 November 2014 (W1, D2).
This is Mancini's 12th Derby della Madonnina as Inter coach over his two spells at the club. His record stands at five wins, three draws and three defeats.
REFEREE AND DISCIPLINE
This will be Antonio Damato's 155th time in charge of a Serie A fixture and his 10th game this season. He has awarded two penalties and handed out four red cards so far in 2015/16.
Only one match officiated by Damato this season has ended as a draw, with two wins for the home side and six away victories.
Damato is overseeing his first Milan Derby in Serie A tonight, and his second derby of any kind after Genoa 0-1 Sampdoria 0-1 in September 2014.
Damato has refereed AC Milan and Inter 18 times each in Serie A. The Rossoneri have won nine, drawn four and lost five with him while the Nerazzurri have won 12, drawn one and lost five.
After Napoli, Inter are the Serie A side who have committed most fouls in the current campaign (271). Roberto Mancini's men have collected 57 cards (51 yellows, six reds) at an average of one for every 4.75 fouls, more than any other top-flight side.
AC Milan are the team that has been caught offside most often (70 times) in 2015/16.
SUSPENDED:
AC Milan: -
Inter: -
ONE BOOKING AWAY FROM SUSPENSION:
Milan: Abate.
Inter: Kondogbia, Medel, Melo, Miranda.
