Massimiliano Allegri and Claudio Ranieri do battle on Sunday
Claudio Ranieri will need inspiration as he becomes the fourth Inter coach to try and beat Massimiliano Allegri in a Milan derby.
Inter, eight points behind Serie A joint leaders Milan and Juventus, have leapt up the table to fifth after winning five matches in a row since the start of December and conceding only one goal in the process.
Their form is a remarkable turnaround for former Chelsea, Juventus and Roma coach Ranieri, after Inter managed only one win in their opening nine Serie A games of the season.
"We don't need this match to know how much he is worth as a coach," said Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso. "He's a coach with great experience and understands everything. He's a cunning old fox and we need to be very attentive to him and Inter."
However, Milan's form has been even more impressive with 10 wins and two draws since their only Serie A defeat of the season to Juventus on October 2.
Allegri, who won the Serie A title in his first season with Milan last term, has a 100 per cent record in three outings against Inter, who in contrast have been through a turbulent last 18 months.
His debut produced a 1-0 win which hastened the end of Rafael Benitez's unhappy six months in charge of Inter.
Benitez was replaced by Brazilian Leonardo who sparked an Inter revival but their title challenge was effectively ended by a 3-0 defeat in the second derby of last season.
Leonardo quit in the summer and was replaced by Gian Pieri Gasperini whose disastrous five-match reign kicked off with a 2-1 defeat to Milan in the pre-season Supercup match, played in Beijing.
AC MILAN V INTERNAZIONALE: HEAD-TO-HEAD
Inter's summer signing Ricardo Alvarez could feature on Sunday's big Serie A game. Opta have assessed the impact he has made for the Nerazzurri this season.
