AC Milan Vs Inter Milan – Italy Prodigy Set For Maiden Derby Della Ma… — and more

Inter Milan starlet Francesco Pio Esposito could make his inaugural Derby della Madonnina start when the Nerazzurri take on AC Milan on Sunday.

According to Tuttosport via FCInterNews, the 20-year-old is no stranger to scoring against the Rossoneri, though he has yet to do so at senior level.

With ten points separating the sides ahead of Sunday’s kickoff, Inter could land a knockout blow on Milan’s Scudetto hopes this weekend.

However, the Nerazzurri will have to achieve that without Lautaro Martinez, who remains in the pits with a calf injury.

Inter Milan Ace Pio Esposito Set to Make First Derby Start vs AC Milan

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 23: Francesco Pio Esposito of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Pisa SC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on January 23, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Lautaro’s absence leaves a significant hole in Inter’s attack, handing Pio Esposito a golden opportunity to shine on the grandest stage.

Indeed, the Italian prodigy is likely to get the nod in attack ahead of French star Ange-Yoan Bonny, who has just recovered from injury.

Esposito has been in far better form than Marcus Thuram lately, and he will shoulder the burden of expectations on Sunday.

However, if there’s anyone capable of scoring against the Rossoneri, it’s Esposito, who had frequently found the net against them at youth level.

Strahinja Pavlovic has revealed that he spoke to Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic and former Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic before deciding to join Milan from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2024 and claims that Serie A is the best league he’s played in: ‘In these two short years, I’ve learned more than the last six of my career’.

The Rossoneri defender spoke in-depth to La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the Derby della Madonnina between Milan and Inter coming up in Serie A on Sunday evening.

Pavlovic on joining Milan, talks with Vlahovic and improving under Allegri

Pavlovic claims that he has learned more from playing in Serie A than he had done across six years of his career across Serbia, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. Being at Milan and playing under Massimiliano Allegri specifically has played a major role in his development.

“You just have to walk around Milanello to understand how many legends have played here, there are pictures everywhere: In the dining room, in the gym … It makes me happy to wear the same shirt that they wore. It’s a great feeling, it’s hard to describe.”

Pavlovic revealed which of his Serbian teammates he spoke to before joining Milan: “I called Luka Jovic who was here last season, but I also spoke with Milenkovic and Vlahovic to find out more about the Italian division.”

He insists that moving to Serie A has been the most insightful step of his career: “Milan is the biggest club I’ve played for so far and Serie A is stronger than Austria, France and Serbia. Everything is different here, there are no easy games. And in these two short years, I’ve learned more than the last six of my career. For a defender, it’s the perfect league to grow.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 18: Strahinja Pavlovic of AC Milan controls the ball during the Supercoppa Italiana Semi-Final match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at King Saud University Stadium on December 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

“The coach puts a lot of attention on the defence and we’ve made a lot of progress. The credit is not only due to the defenders, though, because we need everyone’s help. The forwards and midfielders lend us a big hand as well.

“(I’ve learned) so many little things. I’ve started paying attention to little details that I hadn’t even considered before, which makes the difference.”

After a difficult 2024-25 season in which Milan finished in eighth place, missing out on European football altogether for 2025-26, the Rossoneri now find themselves in second, albeit 10 points off their city rivals, Inter.

Are Milan ‘happy’ with their season so far? “It’s a difficult question,” Pavlovic pondered. “We’re happy compared to last year, the goal at the beginning of the season was to get into the top four and we are in the running to achieve that. But looking at our performance, we could have had more points, so there is a bit of regret.

“There are still 11 games to go and we will do everything we can to get the most out of them.”

Click here to read the full interview with Pavlovic

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Two of the favourites to win the T20 World Cup will battle it out at the semi-final stage as England take on India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Today’s semi-final pits the two pre-tournament favourites against each other with the hosts, India, seeking to reach Sunday’s showpiece as they hope to defend the title they won in 2024.

India finished second in their Super 8s group having pulled off a great escape against the West Indies in their final match with Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 inspiring India to chase down the target of 196 with four balls remaining.

That victory sets them on a collision course with Harry Brook’s England who started the tournament slowly but won all three of their Super 8 matches to top Group B and reach the final four.

When is England vs India?

England vs India will begin at 1.30pm GMT on Thursday 5 March at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the second semi-final live on Sky Sports with coverage beginning at 1pm. A live stream will be available via Sky Go.

Team news

England selected Rehan Ahmed for their final Super 8 match against New Zealand. Ahmed impressed taking two wickets and scoring a vital 19* helping England to a four wicket win. He replaced Jamie Overton for that game and England face a decision on whether to restore the seamer or stick with Ahmed for the semi-final.

India have plenty of strength in depth but could lean towards selecting the same XI that defeated West Indies in what was effectively a quarter-final for them. There are question marks over Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel’s places with Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj waiting in the wings.

Possible line-ups

England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Japan will look to record its third championship in as many WBCs in 2026.