Milan are gearing up to face Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, the 18th time two Italian teams are battling it out on the European stage.
The Rossoneri booked their spot as one of the final eight in Europe’s premier club competition with a tense 1-0 aggregate win over Tottenham, whilst Napoli found less resistance in their confident 5-0 aggregate win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Inter also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Porto in the Round of 16, and they’re on the same side of the bracket as their Serie A counterparts. Simone Inzaghi’s side won their first leg against Benfica 2-0, allowing them to put a foot in the next stage.
Milan and Napoli are ready to play their 172nd meeting and their first in Europe. The Rossoneri have won 68 of these clashes, with Napoli picking up 51 wins and the two sides drawing 52 times. This tie is also the 18th Italian derby in Europe.
The most recent clash between Serie A sides in Europe came in the 2014-15 Europa League season, when Fiorentina secured a 4-1 aggregate win over Roma. The year prior, the Viola were eliminated in the same competition by Juventus, falling 2-1 over the ties.
Milan and Inter famously played a Derby della Madonnina in the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2004-05 campaign, when the Rossoneri progressed after a tense pair of matches. The second leg was abandoned after Dida was struck by a firework on the pitch, leading to a 3-0 default win for Milan.
The 2002-03 season saw two Serie A derbies in the Champions League – Milan edged out a win over rivals Inter in the semi-finals, progressing to the final thanks to away goals, and they lifted the trophy after beating Juventus on penalties.
A number of all-Italian affairs occurred in Europe in the 1990s, a sign of the league’s high quality in the era. Inter beat Lazio in the UEFA Cup final in the 1997-98 season and Parma won the UEFA Cup in the 1994-95 campaign after beating Juventus.
The 1993-94 season had two more Serie A derbies in the UEFA Cup, with Cagliari upsetting Juventus in the quarter-finals before falling to Inter in the semi-finals.
Other European finals contested between Italian teams include the UEFA Cup in the 1990-91 campaign, when Inter secured victory over Roma, and the UEFA Cup in the 1989-90 season, which saw Juventus beat Fiorentina.