Milan, Inter battle on two fronts for Champions League qualification

Locked in battle for a place in the Champions League final, AC Milan and city rivals Inter are also vying with each other in Serie A for a spot among Europe's elite next season and will treat their remaining league tests as seriously as their semi.

Inter grabbed two early goals through Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to secure an impressive 2-0 win over Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-four tie on Wednesday, taking a significant advantage into next week's return encounter.

One of the two sides will become the first Italian finalist since Juventus faced Real Madrid six years ago, but a potential showdown against powerhouses Real or Manchester City leaves them no room to relax on the domestic front.

Neither of the Milan-based clubs can be assured of a top-four spot just yet, with Inter fourth in the standings on 63 points and Milan right behind, on 61.

Inter could not have timed their return to form any better as Simone Inzaghi's men are on a six-game winning streak in all competitions, four of them in Serie A.

A home win against mid-table Sassuolo on Saturday could bring some breathing space ahead of their return leg with their rivals on Tuesday.

For Milan, who face Spezia on Saturday, things are different and last year's Serie A champions have little room for error left.

Milan have won only two of their last six games on the domestic front, with four draws, and they need to quickly rebound from their Champions League disappointment if they want to return to the competition next season.

"I will try to make the best choices to try to win against Spezia and then overturn this (semi-final) result," Milan coach Stefano Pioli said following their defeat to Inter.

"Playing as Milan, playing better, with quality