Inter Milan and AC Milan will today meet in European competition for the first time in 20 years.
The Derby della Madonnina is one of the fiercest in football, but in the Champions League it has been a completely one-sided affair, with Milan winning twice and the other two matches ending in draws.
The San Siro – the largest stadium in Italy with a capacity of over 80,000 – will be the location for both the first and second leg due to the two sides playing their home matches at the iconic venue.
But how does it work when Inter meet Milan and why do they share a stadium together?
How does it work when Inter play Milan?
The Milan derby is one of the most historic rivalries in world football. It is known as Derby della Madonnina in honour of one of the city’s most famous landmarks: the statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Duomo, which is often referred to as the Madonnina.
The fixture takes place at least twice a year due to both teams competing in Italy’s top-flight, Serie A, but there have often been more matches between the two Milan clubs over the course of different seasons, with additional meetings in the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italia and European competition.
Advertisement
It is one of the very few rivalries in football where both sides play their matches in the same stadium. In this instance, Inter and Milan play their home games at San Siro.
To avoid fixtures clashing, the two teams never have any home games on the same day.
GO DEEPER
Inter were made from AC Milan. Never forget that - The story of the Milan derby
How does sharing a stadium work for the players?
San Siro is unique in the sense that it actually has three dressing rooms. One for Inter, one for Milan and the other for an away team. The Inter dressing room has a lot more space, whereas Milan’s dressing room is more compact.
There is one player tunnel with two different exits for both the home and away team. There are also separate entrances into the Inter and Milan changing rooms.
How does it work for home fans?
Tickets for the Milan derby work in the same way it usually does when a home team plays an away team.
The set of home supporters receive a much larger ticket allocation compared to the away side.
Seeing as there are at least two Milan derbies played every season, both Inter and Milan supporters get a fair ticket allocation.
In the context of the two teams playing in the Champions League, the same principle will also apply as they are facing each other across two legs.
So, season ticket holders for the two clubs are permitted to attend one match but must switch to the away section for the ‘reverse’ fixture, should they succeed in a ballot.
For the first leg, Milan are the ‘home team’, so they will get a larger ticket allocation. Inter will have a larger set of supporters for the second leg when they will count as the ‘home team’.
Season ticket holders for both clubs will get priority access for a game of such importance. If tickets are available after that window, members will have the opportunity to purchase, followed by a sale to the general public.
Both sides have different away sections too. If Inter are the ‘home team,’ Milan’s away section is usually located in the Curva Nord (Green) stand, but if Milan are the ‘home team,’ Inter’s away support tend to sit in the Curva Sud (Blue) stand.
How hard was it to get a ticket?
It wasn’t easy. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that two million tickets were requested for the first leg on Wednesday.
Ticket requests were so high that it could have filled the San Siro stadium 26 times over, the report added.
For comparison, the city of Milan has a population of around 1.3 million.
Why do they share a stadium?
The stadium originally belonged to Milan upon its construction in 1925.
Inter previously played their home matches at the much smaller Arena Civica, a nearby stadium that has a capacity of 10,000 with a colosseum-inspired design.
Since 1947, however, the two teams have shared San Siro when Inter became tenants.
Advertisement
A lack of suitable alternatives is one of the reasons why both clubs share the stadium. San Siro is easily accessible to both sets of supporters, while Inter and Milan also save money on maintenance and renovation costs.
Today, the stadium is owned by Milan City Council, with both clubs continuing on as shared tenants.
Do any other famous teams share a stadium?
There are many other famous teams that share a stadium like Inter and Milan.
In Italy, both Roma and Lazio play their matches at Stadio Olimpico and the pair have been tenants of the stadium since 1953.
Similarly, Stadio Luigi Ferraris is shared by both Genoa and Sampdoria, with the former playing their matches at the ground since 1911 and the latter since 1946.
There are also examples of clubs sharing stadiums with national teams. In the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam and the national side play their home matches at the Johan Cruyff Arena, while AIK Fotboll and Sweden perform at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.
In the United States, there are examples of teams from different sports sharing the same stadium. NFL side Seattle Seahawks share Lumen Field with MLS’ Seattle Sounders and NWSL club OL Reign. MLB side New York Yankees, meanwhile, share the Yankee Stadium with New York City FC.
Is San Siro going to be demolished?
In 2019, both Inter and Milan announced their intention to build a new 60,000 seater stadium to replace San Siro.
The new stadium, which would be constructed next to San Siro, was anticipated to be ready for the 2022-23 season.
But Giuseppe Sala, the current Mayor of Milan, asked for more time and stressed that the stadium would be kept until at least the 2026 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics to be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
GO DEEPER
Inter were made from AC Milan. Never forget that - The story of the Milan derby
(Top Photo: Getty Images)
