It may end up being a tie defined by a No9 who Chelsea decided was not worth keeping against a centre forward who could begin a third spell at the club next season.
But for Olivier Giroud, still going strong at Milan approaching his 37th birthday, and Romelu Lukaku, a far from resounding success in his second spell at Inter Milan despite a recent rebound in form, this derby double-header represents far more than an opportunity to settle some scores.
Giroud already has a winners’ medal from his final season at Stamford Bridge but he only featured sporadically as a substitute for Thomas Tuchel’s team in the knockout stages and this, in all likelihood, is his final opportunity to win one as a major player.
