Milan v Inter team news: Tomori out, Lautaro misses derby
Milan are without Fikayo Tomori for the Milan derby against Inter at San Siro, while Inter are missing captain Lautaro Martínez, Pavard and Spence. The Serie A Matchday 10 game kicks off at 20:45 WAT on Saturday 31 October, with Inter seven points clear of their neighbours.
By Emily, Sports Editor · Published · Updated
Key points: who is missing for Milan v Inter?
- Tomori is out with a thigh muscle strain and is expected to miss at least a month.
- Inter are without captain Lautaro Martínez, Pavard and Spence.
- Gila, Moreira and Rabiot are available again for Milan, and Cisse may start on the bench.
- Pulisic has extended his Milan contract until 30 June 2031.
- Inter lead Milan by seven points, but they have not beaten Milan in seven meetings.
Who is out for Milan?
Tomori was injured against Bologna, and the scan showed a strain in a flexor muscle of his right thigh, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported. He will be checked again in two weeks and is expected to miss at least a month. Sankhoun Diawara is set to replace him.
There is better news on Gila, Moreira and Rabiot, who are all available again, according to the AC Milan preview. No Milan player is suspended. Milan lost their first league game of the season last time out, 4-2 at home to Bologna, even after Alphadjo Cisse scored twice to put them ahead.
Cisse may still start on the bench. La Gazzetta dello Sport expects Ruben Amorim to pick an unusual 4-3-3 with four centre-backs: Maignan in goal, then Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic and Diawara. Musah, Modric and Rabiot would form the midfield, with Moreira, Goncalo Ramos and Christian Pulisic in attack. The paper notes that Cisse scored off the bench in his first big match, against Juventus in Turin. He has seven goals this season, one every 78 minutes.
"The derby is special," Amorim said. "We know how important it is, and we have a responsibility to win."
Pulisic signs until 2031
Milan announced on Friday 30 October that Pulisic has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. AC Milan said he has scored 44 goals in 141 appearances since joining in July 2023. Inter are the team he has faced most often for Milan, nine times, and he has scored three goals against them.
Who is out for Inter?
Lautaro has a strain in his left hamstring. AP News reported that he scored twice in the 4-3 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge and was then expected to miss seven matches, returning after the international break. Pavard and Spence are also missing.
La Gazzetta dello Sport says Chivu will keep Josep Martinez in goal even though Provedel played well at Venezia. Carlos Augusto should recover from a stomach virus. If he does, Bisseck could drop out and Bastoni move back into the middle of the back three. Federico Dimarco has trained little and is not certain to start. In midfield, Zielinski and Mkhitaryan are competing for one place, with Barella and Calhanoglu returning. Pio Esposito has recovered from flu and is expected to partner Marcus Thuram.
Chivu did not dodge the derby record. "If you haven't won the derby in six or seven games, you have to ask yourself why," he told Inter. "There are no favourites in derbies." He also defended Thuram's energy: "Thuram is in good shape and isn't lacking energy."
Who is the referee?
Marco Guida will referee his 229th Serie A match, with Mazzoleni on VAR. At 41 and 46, Amorim and Chivu are the youngest pair of coaches to meet in a Serie A Milan derby since Andrea Stramaccioni and Massimiliano Allegri in February 2013.
TuSport desk: what the derby does to the table
We lined up the official standings with both clubs' team news. Inter and Lazio have 25 points each, and Milan sit fifth on 18, a gap of seven. A Milan win cuts that gap to four. A draw leaves it at seven, and an Inter win stretches it to ten. Lazio play Cagliari on Sunday at 15:00 WAT, so any Inter lead at the top would be tested within a day.
The absence count favours Milan, one name against three. Tomori is their only confirmed absentee, while Inter have lost their captain and two defenders. Chivu's own numbers explain why that hurts. He said he has only three centre-backs, with Carlos Augusto as the fourth option, and Carlos Augusto is also getting over a virus.
Form points the other way. Inter have eight wins and one draw in the league, but Milan's club figures show Inter have not beaten them in seven meetings. Chivu has heard the question all week, and Milan have scored in each of the last nine derbies.
Why it matters
The derby is the biggest game of the Serie A weekend and can decide whether Milan stay in the title race. Follow both clubs on our AC Milan and Inter pages and the Serie A hub. Elsewhere this weekend, read our Bournemouth v Leeds team news.
Sources: AC Milan — AC MILAN vs. INTER: MATCH PREVIEW · Inter — Cristian Chivu's press conference LIVE · La Gazzetta dello Sport — Diawara starts rather than Bartesaghi, Cisse out: Amorim's unusual Milan for the derby · La Gazzetta dello Sport — Chi sostituisce Tomori nel Milan? Chi va in porta per l'Inter? Amorim e Chivu, le ultime in vista derby · AC Milan — OFFICIAL STATEMENT: CHRISTIAN PULISIC · AP News — Inter rocked as Lautaro Martínez likely to miss 7 matches with hamstring strain
