AC Milan to face Inter in Perth friendly at Optus Stadium on August 5, 2026
AC Milan and Inter Milan will meet in a pre-season friendly Derby della Madonnina at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, as both clubs continue preparations for the 2026-27 campaign away from Italy. The Rossoneri enter the fixture after a 2-2 draw with Celtic in Scotland, while Inter were held 1-1 by Manchester City in their most recent warm-up match.
The match forms part of each side’s summer schedule in Australia and offers managers an opportunity to assess their squads amid rotation caused by World Cup absences and the integration of new signings. Several first-team players remain unavailable following the FIFA World Cup, and both clubs are expected to manage workloads and give minutes to fringe and youth players. The fixture has been described in the preview as another chance for both teams to prepare ahead of the new season and is expected to provide a competitive contest.
Eighteen-year-old Francesco Camarda is a player to watch for AC Milan after scoring twice off the bench in the 2-2 draw with Celtic, strengthening his case for increased first-team minutes during pre-season. Santiago Giménez is listed as unavailable, and Gonçalo Ramos has only recently joined the squad, factors that could elevate Camarda’s role in Perth. Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot are still taking time off after their time in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup, while Christian Pulisic and Santiago Giménez are recovering from injuries and Christopher Nkunku suffered a muscle problem before the team departed. Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Ramos, Luka Modrić, Alexis Saelemaekers, Koni De Winter and Ardon Jashari have joined the rest of the AC Milan group.
Inter travel without several key figures, with captain Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram missing the tournament after the FIFA World Cup and Manuel Akanji not taking part. Francesco Pio Esposito has been handed a greater opportunity under Cristian Chivu during pre-season and is expected to lead Inter’s attack, with Ange-Yoan Bonny also listed among the club’s forwards. The preview notes the exits of Yann Sommer, Francisco Acerbi, Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian and Denzel Dumfries, and names players Cristian Chivu can count on including Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco and Piotr Zieliński.
Projected lineups provided in the preview list AC Milan as: Lorenzo Torriani; Strahinja Pavlović, Fikayo Tomori, Mario Gila; Alexis Saelemaekers, Youssouf Fofana, Samuele Ricci, Davide Bartesaghi; Samuel Chukwueze, Gonçalo Ramos, Rafael Leão. Inter’s projected XI is shown as: Josep Martínez; Yann Aurel Bisseck, Benjamin Pavard, Alessandro Bastoni; Davide Frattesi, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Piotr Zieliński, Federico Dimarco; Francesco Pio Esposito, Ange-Yoan Bonny.
The preview highlights both teams are still integrating new signings and managing the workload of players returning from the FIFA World Cup, and suggests Milan have greater attacking depth with the arrivals of Rafael Leão and Gonçalo Ramos. It also notes Inter’s missing forwards could reduce their attacking options in Perth and predicts a closely contested match, offering a forecast of AC Milan 2-1 Inter Milan.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at Optus Stadium in Perth and will be available to stream live on DAZN in selected international territories, including Australia; availability in other regions will depend on local broadcast rights.