Overview
The Milan derby in the summer 2026 friendly series brings a contrasting picture of the two teams. AC Milan enters a period of reconstruction under coach Ruben Amorim, while Inter Milan aims for a new season with stability after the successful 2025-2026 campaign.
Despite being inferior in Serie A last season, AC Milan has an advantage in recent encounters with Inter. Rossoneri have won 5 and are unbeaten in the last 7 derbies in all competitions, including two minimal 1-0 victories in Serie A last season.
However, impressive head-to-head record cannot hide a disappointing season. After a period of sublimation in derbies, Milan declined sharply in the final stage of Serie A with 6 defeats in the last 10 rounds, thereby losing a Champions League spot.
This result made the San Siro club's leadership decide to make changes on the coaching bench. Amorim was appointed to replace Max Allegri with the task of bringing Rossoneri back to the top competition group of Italian football.
The debut match of the Portuguese strategist closed with a 2-2 draw against Celtic. Despite being led after the first half, AC Milan still managed to equalize thanks to a double by young talent Francesco Camarda.
After the confrontation with Inter, Milan will continue to undergo two quality tests against Manchester United and Chelsea, before entering the opening round of Serie A against Torino on August 23.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan enters the new season with the mindset of a champion. Coach Cristian Chivu's team has just completed a successful season by winning a Serie A and Coppa Italia double, and ending the campaign with an 11-point gap from Napoli.
Inter's preparation process also went smoothly. Nerazzurri opened with a 16-0 victory over SV Aasen, then defeated Karlsruher 2-1 thanks to Andy Diouf's late double and continued to overcome Manchester City in the penalty shootout.
The tour in Australia will close with 2 notable matches against AC Milan and Juventus. This is also the sixth time in the 21st century that the two Milan teams have met in a summer friendly match, with Inter temporarily leading 3-2 in the number of wins.
Personnel situation
AC Milan is likely to have a stronger force than the draw against Celtic when Amorim welcomes the return of a series of key players after the World Cup. Most notably is Luka Modric, who just extended his contract for another year with Rossoneri.
Besides, Rafael Leao, Ardon Jashari, Koni De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers are also ready to join forces, bringing more options for the Portuguese strategist.
On Inter Milan's side, captain Lautaro Martinez cannot return after playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final. Marcus Thuram and new signing John Stones are also expected to be absent from the derby in Perth.
However, Cristian Chivu still has new options when Aleksandar Stankovic and goalkeeper Ivan Provedel are both ready to play. In attack, young talent Jamal Iddrissou is likely to continue to be given the opportunity to replace Lautaro Martinez.
Expected lineup:
AC Milan: Torriani, Tomori, Gila, Pavlovic, Athekame, Ricci, Fofana, Bartesaghi, Cisse, Chukwueze, Camarda.
Inter Milan: Provedel, Pavard, Bisseck, Bastoni, Diouf, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Iddrissou, Esposito.
The match between AC Milan and Inter Milan takes place at 6:00 PM on August 5 (Vietnam time).
