Calhanoglu: ‘Inter must avoid Milan provocation’ in tense derby

Hakan Calhanoglu urges Inter not to ‘fall into the trap of provocation’ in the Derby della Madonnina against Milan after losing the last three. ‘We must not lose our heads.’

It kicks off at the iconic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

This match is also being aired live on BBC2 in the UK and on the iPlayer.

The Nerazzurri need to get back on track when it comes to this fixture, as their last victory over their city rivals was when mathematically securing the Scudetto in April 2024.

It was followed by two draws and five defeats in all competition, including losing the last three without finding the net.

Calhanoglu played for Milan and Inter

“The derbies of the past are in the past, what I’ve learned is that in a derby you need the right mentality, concentration and to keep a clear head,” Calhanoglu told DAZN Italia.

“We must have motivation, but not lose our heads or fall into the trap of provocation from the opponents.”

Inter won their last two Serie A matches with a bit of luck, as they were trailing to Fiorentina until scoring twice in added time, then needed two own goals to get the better of rock bottom Venezia in the midweek round.

“We’ve got to be careful, because we know the qualities that Milan possess,” added Calhanoglu.

“They are dangerous on the counter-attack, so we will try not to leave those spaces. They press high and it is difficult to defend, they know how to hurt us.”

Lautaro Martinez, Luis Henrique, Curtis Jones, John Stones and Benjamin Pavard are still out of action with a big Champions League trip to Feyenoord coming up on Tuesday.

There are some big surprises with a change of system to 3-4-2-1 with Andy Diouf and Petar Sucic in more advanced roles to support lone striker Marcus Thuram.