Preview: AC Milan vs Inter Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Bringing the Derby della Madonnina down to Australia, Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan will clash at Perth's Optus Stadium on Wednesday.

The two city rivals are preparing for an upcoming Serie A campaign in which Milan must look to rebuild under new management while Inter fight to retain the title.

Match preview

Turning around a trend of painful defeats, Milan have won five and lost none of their last seven meetings with Inter across all competitions, including a pair of 1-0 league wins last term.

However, soon after they did a Serie A derby double for the first time since 2011, the Rossoneri collapsed while their old foes comfortably claimed the Scudetto.

That implosion - six defeats in their last 10 league games - ultimately saw Milan miss out on qualifying for the Champions League, sparking an instant cull of the club's management.

With Max Allegri's second spell abruptly ended after just one year, Ruben Amorim was then hired to turn things around in the red half of Italy's second city.

Last week, Amorim's dugout debut brought a 2-2 draw with Celtic in Glasgow, as two goals in five minutes from rising star Francesco Camarda hauled the Rossoneri level following a shaky first half.

Now, they must play three more high-profile warm-ups, meeting Inter, Manchester United and Chelsea before kicking off a new league campaign away to Torino on August 23.

While Milan are rebuilding from the ground up again, continuity is the key for their oldest rivals, who clinched both domestic trophies for the first time since 2010 last term.

Inter added a 10th Coppa Italia to their 21st Scudetto, and finishing 11 points clear of defending champions Napoli marked a successful first year in charge for Cristian Chivu.

Now building towards the start of their title defence, which will get under way against newly promoted Monza on August 22, Chivu's side have made a positive start to pre-season.

After thrashing SV Aasen 16-0 during a training camp in Germany, Andy Diouf's late brace beat Karlsruher 2-1, then the Nerazzurri defeated Manchester City on penalties in Hong Kong.

Next up is an Australian double-header against their two fiercest foes: Milan and Juventus: Wednesday's clash with the Rossoneri will mark their sixth summertime 'friendly' against the Rossoneri this century, with Inter leading 3-2 as things stand.

AC Milan pre-season form:

Inter Milan pre-season form:

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Team News

After several primavera prospects featured against Celtic, new Milan boss Amorim can now welcome back World Cup players such as Luka Modric, who recently agreed to stay in Italy for another year.

Portugal's Rafael Leao, Switzerland midfielder Ardon Jashari and Belgian duo Koni De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers are all set to join the squad too.

Summer signings Goncalo Ramos - the Rossoneri's new record buy - and Mario Gila were both involved at the weekend. However, captain Mike Maignan is still on leave, while Christian Pulisic is currently sidelined by a thigh injury.

Due to his run to the World Cup final with Argentina, Inter skipper Lautaro Martinez is also unavailable; Marcus Thuram and recent arrival John Stones are not expected to play in Perth either.

By contrast, fellow new boys Aleksandar Stankovic and Ivan Provedel are both fit and ready, while young striker Jamal Iddrissou could continue to deputise for Martinez.

Replacing Real Madrid-bound Denzel Dumfries on the right wing, converted midfielder Diouf has already scored four goals in pre-season so far.

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Torriani; Tomori, Gila, Pavlovic; Athekame, Ricci, Fofana, Bartesaghi; Cisse, Chukwueze; Camarda

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Provedel; Pavard, Bisseck, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Iddrissou, Esposito

We say: AC Milan 1-2 Inter Milan

Not only do Inter have a more settled squad but they also come into this contest on the back of some positive performances; meanwhile, Milan are still finding their feet under Amorim.

Lacking the sharp edge of a regular Derby della Madonnina, Wednesday's warm-up game will be more about building form and fitness.

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