Next Sunday, 23rd of November 2014, two Italian powerhouses, AC Milan and Inter Milan, will measure forces at the emblematic San Siro for round 12 of Serie A, a match that both sides need to win in order to, at least, keep track of Napoli, who are currently at the 3rd place of the table, not allowing them to escape even more.

The recent turmoil at Inter Milan has apparently calmed down with the departure of their former manager, Walter Mazzarri, and return of Roberto Mancini for a second stint at the helm of the Milanese side. With just 16 points from 11 matches, Inter are currently at the 9th position of the Serie A table, twelve points behind the league leaders, Juventus. Walter Mazzarri, who arrived at Inter in 2013, failed to survive a series of somewhat disappointing results and a home draw with Verona two weeks ago dictated the end of his stewardship at the Nerazzurri.

Inter’s performances so far this season have been far from impressive and not even a 7-0 win over Sassuolo was enough to make supporters forget the painful defeats at the hands of Parma and Cagliari.

Last week, Roberto Mancini took almost everyone by surprise after accepting a new challenge at the helm of the team he commanded between 2004 and 2008, when he changed Serie A for the English Premier League and took the lead of Manchester City. The former Italian international appeared to be very optimistic on his return to Milan but, at the same time, he seemed to be fully aware of the Herculean task that is waiting for him.

His return to Serie A will take place against his team's eternal rivals, AC Milan, and Mancini will most certainly not be able to rely on the contribution of several important players, such as Guarin, Hernanes and M’Vila, all currently sidelined due to injury, and of Medel, who is suspended.

As for AC Milan, they arrive at the Derby della Madonnina with 17 points from 11 matches, something quite modest for a team of their calibre. The Rossoneri are, in fact, going through a less impressive moment with three draws and one defeat on their last four Serie A matches. After an inspired season start, AC Milan seem to have started to lose their power and they might consider themselves lucky for the draw they snatched against Sampdoria two weeks ago.

The Milanese teams are currently very equivalent and, for that reason, it is hard to name any favourites for the upcoming match, although, if we have in mind the extra motivation that the arrival of a new manager often produces, Inter might enjoy from a slight favouritism for the Derby della Madonnina.

AC Milan

Stats: W-1 L-1 D-3

Recent Form - DWLDD

Inter Milan

Stats: W-2 L-1 D-2

Recent Form - DDLWW

Possible Line-ups

AC Milan (4-3-3) - Diego Lopez - Abate - Alex - Mexes - De Sciglio - Andrea Poli - De Jong - Bonaventura - Keisuke Honda - El Shaarawy - Jeremy Menez

Inter Milan (4-4-1-1) - Handanovic - Nagatomo - Ranocchia - Vidic - Jesus - Kovacic - Obi - Khrin - Dodo - Palacio - Icardi

Prediction

AC Milan 1 Inter Milan 1