AC Milan vs Inter Milan: Combined XI

Rossoneris take on the Nerazzurris at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on a Champions League night

As the UEFA Champions League resumes, we have a very special tie on Thursday night (12:30 am IST) at the San Siro stadium. The last time AC Milan and Inter Milan met in the semi-final stages of Europe's elite competition was in 2002-03.

Although AC Milan progressed through to the finals back then. The recent head-to-head stats are in favour of the Nerazzurri. Having already met three times across two competitions, Inter seemingly has an upper hand with two back-to-back wins. The latest win against Milan ended with a scoreline of 1-0 at home.

Both Italian teams will be looking to build upon their 2-0 victories respectively that came in the Serie A competition. Now as they lock horns in the grandest of the stages possible, we have a look at a combined XI that features a mix of AC Milan and Inter Milan players:

Formation: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)

At AC Milan, Mike Maignan puts on the jersey number 16. But he will be our number 1 in between the posts.

The French International aged 27 has been a top goalkeeper for coach Stefano Pioli this season. He has denied opponents to register a goal on 9 different occasions. Out of which 7 clean sheets came in Serie A while the other 2 in the UEFA Champions League. He has been used 23 times across all competitions this term.

Left-back: Theo Hernández (AC Milan)

A complete full-back knows how to find the net and his teammates as well. Theo Hernández has taken the field on 39 occasions for the Rossoneris. He has managed to score 4 times and find his teammates as well - on five occasions. Out of which, 2 assists came in the UEFA Champions League.

The pacy French international starts in the left-back position.

Centre-back: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)

Aged just 24, Alessandro Bastoni has cemented his place in the Inter side. And, we will also give him the nod in our AC Milan vs Inter Milan: combined XI.

Although Bastoni got signedin the summer of 2017, he was sent out on loan for the following next two seasons. One trip was back to his former club, Atalanta, and the other came to Parma - where the Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon now plays his trade.

In the 2022-23 season, the left-footed Italian has six assists while being deployed in 38 matches across all competitions.

Centre-back: Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)

To keep things balanced at the heart of the defence, Tomori gets the nod as well. The England International has found his feet in Serie A, having joined permanently from Chelsea back in July 2021. He was on a six-month loan at Milan previously.

The 24-year-old has 39 appearances across many competitions while also netting a goal once. Under Milan manager, Stefano Pioli, Fikayo Tomori has spent 3,277' minutes on the pitch.

Also Read: Top 10 players who played for both AC Milan and Inter Milan

Right-back: Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)

The Internazionale fullback will complete our defence. Stamina, Speed, and Strength - you name it, Dumfries will deliver. This is evident in the number of games he has featured this season under Simone Inzaghi.

In a total of 44 games, Denzel Dumfries has dazzled the fans with 7 assists and 2 goals going forwards.

Central-midfield: Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan)

In our 4-3-3 formation, Çalhanoğlu will feature in the left central midfield role. The Turkish playmaker has been consistent - as always. He has seven assists and four goals to his name for the 2022-23 campaign. Out of which, six assists came in the Serie A in 31 odd appearances.

Also Read: AC Milan vs Inter Milan: Champions League Head-to-head record

Centre defensive-midfield: Sandro Tonali (AC Milan)

The box-to-box midfielder with deep-lying playmaker attributes will keep his usual spot. The AC Milan number 8 slots in at the Centre defensive midfielder role. In 10 Champions League games, Tonali has marked his name on the assists charts - with 3 assists. He also has 6 more in the Italian league.

Central-midfield: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)

The 43-capped Italian international will complete our midfield trio. Nicolò Barella knows how to keep things balanced. He has found the back of the net on 8 occasions, while also assisting his teammates 9 times.

With Çalhanoğlu, Tonali, and Barella, our midfield is all set. But they will need attackers to feed the ball to. Up next -

Left-wing: Rafael Leão (AC Milan)

The AC Milan starlet, Rafael Leão will feature in the left wing position of our 4-3-3 formation. The 23-year-old Portuguese has been in very sensational form this season. In Serie A he has been netting a goal on an average every 181' minutes. This brings his tally to 12 goals in 32 appearances. And no, he is not a typical number 9.

Striker: Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)

Our striker choice could have been either Olivier Giroud or Romelu Lukaku as well. As they have managed to score 13 and 10 respectively.

But Lautaro Martínez seems to playing the game on a different level. Martínez has managed to find the back of the net with 23 goals- and that is what we get after adding the stats of Giroud and Lukaku. In 2022-23, he has also managed to assist his teammates with a goal 10 times. In a total of 49 games, he has been on the pitch for 3,583' minutes. And that's a lot of minutes of game time.

Right-wing: Brahim Díaz (AC Milan)

Brahim Díaz is on loan from Los Blancos. He will be looking to leave a mark on Italian soil and AC Milan's history before moving back to Madrid.

The Milan number 10 slots in at the right wing position. Díaz has a strong command of both of his legs, as he is equally capable of shooting from both left and right foot. This will come in handy when he cuts inside from the right side. The Spaniard has managed to score 6 goals and 4 assists in 39 games in total.