Capello spots Inter weakness Milan could exploit and sends message to… — and more

Fabio Capello notes that Inter ‘have become a bit slow’ in defence, so Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao can ’cause problems’ for the Nerazzurri in the derby, but also tells Leao to ‘show real fighting spirit.’

The Derby della Madonnina is just around the corner as Milan and Inter will meet at San Siro this coming Sunday.

The Nerazzurri are the table leaders with a 10-point advantage over their city rivals who sit second in the standings.

Inter played Como away on Tuesday in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals, but both sides’ focus seemed to be elsewhere.

Capello previews Milan vs. Inter derby

“Inter were already thinking a lot about Sunday’s Derby. The Coppa Italia semifinal was undeniably disappointing, played at a very slow pace by both teams, including Como, which seemed more focused on qualifying for the Champions League,” Capello wrote in his column for Gazzetta dello Sport.

Leao is expected to lead the Milan attack on Sunday after scoring a goal in a 2-0 win over Cremonese on Sunday.

“I heard the Portuguese speaking with grit and determination. Well, I would like to see him just as determined on the pitch, showing real fighting spirit and all of his undeniable qualities,” wrote Capello.

“Many times, he ends up disappearing for certain stretches of the match, and for him, it’s to make an important leap.

“Milan certainly won’t be able to avoid lapses in concentration, as Inter’s quality is much higher,” the ex-Rossoneri coach continued.

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 23: Marcus Thuram of FC Internazionale is challenged by Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Milan at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Allegri will have to be careful not to give Inter space, especially when Calhanoglu is on the field, as he is extremely skilled at switching the play out to the wings, where Inter are strong.

“That said, Inter have recently been giving away something in defence, they’ve become a bit slow, and therefore Leao and Pulisic, with their qualities, could also cause problems for the league leaders.”

Milan have only lost two Serie A games this season, but their city rivals have been far more consistent, winning 22 league matches out of 27.

“Milan’s victory would keep the title race more alive, but for the good of our football, the neutral fan should, above all, hope for a match that is enjoyable, played at a high tempo, competitive, well refereed, with the game allowed to flow and without continuous interruptions,” concluded Capello.

“After all, we’re talking about first and second place in the standings, facing each other in a match broadcast in many countries abroad. It would be important to show that Italian football is high-quality and not boring to watch.”

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FC Bayern will not be able to count on their main star, Harry Kane, for the Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach taking place tomorrow.

The coach, Vincent Kompany, confirmed in the pre-match press conference that the forward has been dropped from the squad at the last minute,

"Harry Kane will not be there. He received a knock on the calf. It's just a knock, we don't see it as anything too serious," stated the Bayern coach.

Kane would return soon

The Bayern coach made it clear that Kane is not expected to be out for long. The reason for his immediate absence is a precautionary measure: "We were just one day short for him to be ready."

Kompany also reassured the fans regarding the crucial Champions League match against Atalanta next Tuesday. "We are counting on it. Of course, we would have liked Harry to be here today, but well, these things happen."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

We asked for your views on your hopes for the rest of the season after Sunderland reached the magic 40-point mark after Tuesday's win at Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Peter: Sunderland have a solid defence and good cover in the squad. They have a good midfield and again have cover there, but there is a distinct lack of punch up front. Burnley and West Ham have scored more goals so any thoughts of Europe are far fetched to say the least. A great season, but they really do need a couple of strikers who are going to get a dozen goals or more a season, it must be the number one priority for next season.

Simon: Up for the Cup, aye! Forget Europe - even if we qualified we couldn't compete and we've seen what's happened to others: fighting relegation as a result. Next season is about consolidating but we should have a real go at a trophy now we are safe

Colin: Good to hit 40 points but now we must concentrate on establishing ourselves in this league before we start doing anything else, as for Europe we are not even close maybe in a few more seasons.

Tom: Delighted to have hit the magic 40 point mark so early. I doubt we can get European football but we should try and take a run at the FA Cup. Beat Port Vale and we are into the last 8 and we are capable of getting a result against anyone.