Both sides played out stalemates last season with a goalless draw and a 1-1 stalemate. It was AC that came out on top in their recent encounter with Philippe Mexes’ volley giving them a narrow 1-0 victory in their summer exhibition match in China.
After Hernanes’ late departure to current champions Juventus it looks like Mancini will be opting for a four-three-three formation with an attacking line of Perisic and Jovetic supporting star striker Mauro Icardi.
Gary Medel, Marcelo Brozovic and Kondogbia are expected to make up the midfield against Milan while loanee Adem Ljajic could be introduced in this match, however Mancini will be missing the trio of Miranda, Nemanja Vidic and Dodo.
Andrea Bertolacci is expected to miss out through injury which means that either Juraj Kucka or Riccardo Montolivo will slot into his position. M’Baye Niang, Jeremy Menez and Luca Antonelli will also be absent through injury.
After failing to secure a move away from the San Siro, Keisuke Honda could be moved into an anchor role to provide support for both Adriano and Bacca.
New beginnings
AC Milan, a decade ago were arguably one of the biggest and best sides on the continent, fast forward to the present day and they have been left behind by the likes of Juventus and Roma with AC failing to win the title since 2011.
They are looking for a fresh start with the arrival of Sinisa Mihajlovic and like their rivals they have invested heavily with the significant signings so far are proving to be Carlos Bacca, Alessio Romagnoli and Liverpool loanee Mario Balotelli.
However, Mihajlovic’s reign didn’t get off to the best of starts with a defeat to Fiorentina on the opening day. They bounced back instantly with a solid victory over Empoli thanks to goals from Bacca and Luiz Adriano.
Fans will be wary of the task that face their side with Inter remaining unbeaten in 10 of the last 11 matches that have had their opponents listed as the home side at the San Siro.
If Inter Milan’s start to the campaign is anything to go by, this could prove to be one of their better seasons in the last few years.
Former Manchester City coach, Roberto Mancini has invested heavily over the summer months and it looks to be proving dividends with two consecutive victories in Serie A before the international break.
Particular signings that Mancini has made have proved very impactful with Manchester City loanee, Stefan Jovetic scoring the winning strike in their opening day victory over Atlanta before adding a brace to secure an away victory over Capri.
Their spending spree wasn’t quite finished during the international break before the window slammed shut with Felipe Melo, Ivan Perisic and Geoffrey Kondogbia all new faces.
With slow starts for both Juventus and Roma, three points on Sunday will prove vital to continue their great start to their season and as they currently sit third in the table behind Torino and Chievo it could put them in an early commanding position for the title race.
Both Inter Milan and AC Milan will be hoping for three points on Sunday evening when the city rivals clash in the Milan derby.