Akanji ‘happy to be on this side of Milan’ for Derby

Inter defender Manuel Akanji is ‘happy to be on this side of Milan’ as he prepares to face the Rossoneri in the derby della Madonnina.

It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT) at the Stadio Meazza in San Siro.

Football Italia is among the accredited media in the press box, and you can follow all the live updates and the build-up on the Football Italia LIVEBLOG.

Milan derby: Akanji’s pre-match interview

“It’s one of the greatest derbies in the world, I am really happy to be part of it and hopefully we can win it today,” Akanji told DAZN Italia.

It was put to him that there was a sort of derby on the transfer market during the summer, as both Inter and AC Milan wanted to sign the defender.

“I am really happy to be on this side of Milan.”

Akanji: ‘Hopefully I can show’ how to mark Leao

How do you mark an opponent like Rafael Leao?

“Hopefully I can show you today,” smiled the man on loan from Manchester City.

“It’s going to be a tough match-up, he is a really good individual player, but I believe in my strengths and hopefully I can show it on the pitch.”

Inter have won 11 of their last 12 matches across all competitions, while Milan are unbeaten in 10 Serie A games.

The Rossoneri star Adrien Rabiot also spoke to DAZN prior to kick-off, saying he was “very happy” to return to action for the big game at the Meazza.

Inter have arrived at San Siro #InterMilan #Calcio #SerieA pic.twitter.com/MjCK2jKDdj

— Football Italia (@footballitalia) November 23, 2025