City rivals Inter Milan will be aiming to keep pace with them, and a resurgent Juventus, after Simone Inzaghi’s charges came up short in their own title defence in 2021/22.
Both sides will be looking to gain an early season advantage this weekend with the return of Romelu Lukaku the big story for Inter this summer.
Pioli’s AC Milan picked up four points from two league games against Inter Milan last season but they have not won a Serie A contest against them, as the designated ‘home’ side, since 2016.
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What time is AC Milan vs. Inter Milan?
AC Milan play host to Inter Milan at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. It kicks off at 17:00 p.m. BST on Sat, Sep 3.
How to watch AC Milan vs. Inter Milan
UK: Matches are carried across BT Sport streaming and TV platforms.
USA: Selected Serie A matches are televised on CBS Network (English) and Paramount+.
Canada: Every Serie A game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches beIN Sports Connect.
AC Milan vs. Inter Milan predicted lineups
Pioli faces a selection headache in attack ahead of this game with Rade Krunić and Ante Rebic both ruled out through injury.
However, with a busy run of matches on the horizon, he may look to rotate his starting XI with Alexis Saelemaekers and Simon Kjær potentially rotating back into the side.
AC Milan predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan (GK) — Hernandez, Tomori, Kjær, Calabria — Tonali, Bennacer — Leao, De Ketelaere, Saelemaekers — Giroud
Inzaghi will be without Lukaku for this tie, after the Belgian international was forced off injured in the 3-1 Serie A defeat away at Lazio.
Bosnian veteran Edin Džeko is expected to replace him in the starting XI with Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Robin Gosens pushing to return.
Inter Milan predicted lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic (GK) — Bastoni, de Vrij, Skriniar — Gosens, Calhanoglu, Galiardini, Barella, Dumfries— Dzeko, Martinez
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AC Milan vs. Inter Milan betting odds
A Milanese derby is a key fixture in the Serie A calendar and both AC Milan and Inter Milan will be determined to gain early bragging rights this season.
AC Milan did get the better of their rivals, on route to winning the title last season, but clashes between them are normally narrow battles and this weekend could continue that trend at the San Siro.
