Watching your bitter local rivals lift the Serie A crown cannot have been fun for anyone connected to the Rossoneri. It was especially painful as it means Inter Milan now have 20 league titles to AC Milan’s 19.
Despite a recent title win in 2021-2022, there is a feeling that AC Milan is a sleeping giant of Italian football. A side that was so dominant during the first decade of this millennium under Carlo Ancelotti has yet to rediscover that lethal cocktail of grit and grace that was a hallmark of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 AC Milan sides.
This year, they are hoping to pull back level with Inter Milan in terms of the number of titles won, but they have a 19 point deficit in terms of quality and consistency that they must overturn.
Below, we unpick the upcoming season, the standout fixtures, the historical significance of them, and much more.
Overview of the 2024/2025 Serie A Season
Serie A remains one of the most watched, loved, and impassioned leagues in continental Europe.
In the 2023/24 season, viewing records were broken twice. The 10th round of Serie A fixtures set a new viewing figure record of 6.2 million, breaking the previous record of 6.1 million, which had been set the week before.
AC Milan plays no small role in the popularity of the league. In 2022, a study by YouGov found it to be the most well-supported team in Italy, with no fewer than 500 millions fans worldwide.
This Serie A season is shaping up to be a massive one for the Italian behemoths.
Key Fixtures and Dates
Due to their profound success over the years, AC Milan is a team with several rivals – some due to regional rivalries, others historical. But all of them are noteworthy.
Below, we breakdown the most notable:
The Milan Derby: AC Milan vs Inter Milan
While Inter Milan may have one more title in the bank, AC Milan have nine years on their rivals. The red and black stripes were founded in 1899, while the blue and black stripes came to be in 1908.
Originally, the two clubs were one. But bitter board-level divisions in the future direction of the club – with the signing of foreign players at the centre of disagreements – led to a splinter group forming. This splinter group would later be called Internazionale – or Inter Milan.
Ever since, the two teams have been ferocious intra city rivals.
Last year, this fixture belonged to the blue half of Milan – they won each game 5-1 and 2-1 respectively. The latter game, held towards the end of the campaign, also saw two red cards issued.
Can the Rossoneri get their revenge when they face off in the Derby della Madonnina?
- September 22: Inter Milan vs AC Milan
- February 2: AC Milan vs Inter Milan
AC Milan vs Juventus FC
The oldest and longest-running derby in Italian football, AC Milan and Juventus share a rivalry that is more based on success than geography.
Both are among the most successful football institutions in world football, let alone Italy. However, if you were to zoom out to the sociological and geographical implications of the clash, it’s a meeting between the cities of Turin and Milan and the cultural differences they share.
Last season, AC Milan struggled against the Old Lady, failing to register a single goal in the two league games, taking just one point from the two clashes.
This season, they face off on the following dates:
- November 24: AC Milan vs Juventus
- January 19: Juventus vs AC Milan
AC Milan vs Napoli
You only have to look back to the latter part of the 1980s to see where the seeds of this rivalry were planted.
The Rossoneri won back-to-back European cups in 1989 and 1990. Napoli, meanwhile, won their first two league titles in 1986 and 1990 – the latter of which pipped Milan to the trophy.
AC Milan had Marco van Basten. Napoli had Diego Maradona. It was a rivalry rich in world class quality and iconic figures.
It’s remained strong ever since.
This year, the two face off on the following dates:
- October 30: AC Milan vs Napoli
- March 30: Napoli vs AC Milan
AC Milan vs AS Roma
Two great teams historically, this fixture was action-packed last season. They met four times – twice in the league and twice in the Europa League.
Those four clashes spawned 11 goals and two red cards, with the Rossoneri winning both league games, but perishing in the European Cup,
They take on each other on the following dates:
- December 29: AC Milan vs Roma
- May 18: Roma vs AC Milan
Other Key Fixtures
While these two opponents aren’t traditional rivals, they could become serious short-term challengers to AC Milan’s position in the top four based on their upward trajectory.
Atalanta and Bologna have both shown glimpses of distinct quality and impressive consistency to finish fourth and fifth respectively in the standings last season.
Bologna have lost their impressive manager, Thiago Motta, to Juventus, and some key players have departed – Joshua Zirkzee to Manchester United and Marko Arnautovic to Inter Milan. However, they could still have enough to trouble the European placings once again.
Atalanta, meanwhile, are incredibly consistent under the swashbuckling guidance of their manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who ended the club’s long wait for a trophy by conquering Bundesliga’s all-conquering and invincible Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Last season, AC Milan only managed to bag five points from the 12 available in both fixtures against Atalanta and Bologna. They will need to do better if they are to challenge for the title.
This season, they face Bologna and Atalanta on the following dates:
- December 8: Atalanta vs AC Milan
- April 20: AC Milan vs Atalanta
- October 27: Bologna vs AC Milan
- May 11: AC Milan vs Bologna
Home and Away Matches
AC Milan had the fourth-best home record and the second-best away record in Serie A last year. They secured 40 points at home and 35 points on the road.
They scored the exact same number of goals home and away (38), but conceded 15 more goals in hostile atmospheres (32) than at the San Siro (17).
If they are to launch a serious title challenge, they will need to be less brittle in defence away from home.
Important Periods in the Schedule
If last year is anything to go by, AC Milan will need to finish the season much stronger. They managed to win just one of their final seven games in Serie A, ensuring the march to glory for their bitter rivals Inter Milan was one free of stress and anxiety.
The run-in looks tasty, too. Here’s how it is shaping up for the Rossoneri:
- April 27: Venezia vs AC Milan
- May 4: Genoa vs AC Milan
- May 11: AC Milan vs Bologna
- May 18: Roma vs AC Milan
- May 25: AC Milan vs Monza
Expectations and Predictions
AC Milan are a seasoned Italian behemoth. They know how to win trophies and are desperate to even the keel with their intra city foes in terms of titles won.
The odds makers have them as one of the favourites behind Inter Milan, and fans will expect a deeper, more sustained title challenge than that of last season.
Socios.com Partners y AC Milan Fan Tokens
It’s not only the city in which Inter Milan and AC Milan share. They have both embraced the Fan Tokens concept from Socios, which gives power over certain club matters back to those who pour their love and support into their teams every single week.
But what are Fan Tokens?
Essentially, they are digital assets that fans can exchange for real-world benefits.
Purchase fan tokens through the Socios.com app using $CHZ and have a say in crucial team matters, qualify for exclusive competitions, and even choose the song a team listens to at half-time.
The experience varies depending on the team – but it promises to bring fans closer to the club and its stars more so than ever before.
Recap of the Previous Season
Fans were satisfied with a top-two finish in Serie A last season, but there will be pressure for even more success, such is the scale of the club and the swathe of global fans thirsting for glory.
That taste for trophy ware will have sharpened even more after their rivals – Inter Milan – lifted their 20th title to edge ahead of AC Milan (19) in terms of domestic league triumphs.
Can the Rossoneri respond?
