article: The Milan Derby used to be Italian football’s biggest attraction. A host of world stars, two unwavering sets of supporters and a fierce rivalry meant AC Milan and Inter could always guarantee a spectacle. It was certainly the case in April 2005 when a hail of flares rained down from the stands on to the San Siro pitch - flooding the stadium with smoke and forcing German referee Markus Merk to abandon a virulent Champions League quarter-final. On Sunday, they meet once more against the backdrop of a Champions League quarter-final week. This time, however, interest has barely stirred. Inter Milan pose for a team photo ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan in 2005 . AC Milan (pictured against Schalke in same year) has changed dramatically since their glory years . Starting XIs from the Champs League quarter-final second leg, April 12, 2005 . (4-2-3-1): Toldo; J Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Favalli; C Zanetti, Cambiasso; Van der Meyde, Veron, Gonzalez; Adriano. Starting XIs from the Champs League quarter-final second leg, April 12, 2005 . (4-1-3-2) Dida; Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini; Pirlo; Ambrosini, Kaka, Seedorf; Shevchenko, Crespo. (4-3-1-2): Handanovic; Santon, Ranocchia, Vidic, Juan Jesus; Hernanes, Medel, Gnoukouri; Shaqiri; Icardi, Palacio. (4-3-3): Diego Lopez; Abate, Mexes, Paletta, Antonelli; Poli, De Jong, Van Ginkel; Honda, Menez, Bonaventura. Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa watch on while the match was stopped because of flares thrown on the pitch . The 2005 clash – widely remembered for the chaotic scenes in which Brazilian goalkeeper Dida was knocked to the ground by a flare - was the second time in two seasons the sides had met in the knockout stages as the pair threatened continental dominance to add to their monopoly on Serie A. European success did follow in the form of one title apiece – Milan lifting the trophy in 2007 and Inter followed suit in 2010 – but both have seen their stock dwindle severely in the past few years. The pair have vacated the Champions League scene and their form in Serie A suggests they won’t be rejoining Europe’s elite any time soon. Milan - Europe’s most decorated club - are 15 points off the Champions League pace in ninth. Inter are a point and place further behind. Failure to qualify for next season – when the San Siro plays host to the final - will see both sides absent for the second year in a row. Never before has Europe’s biggest competition gone consecutive campaigns without any representation from Italy’s second city. For now, supporters have the derby alone to look forward to next term. While the rivalry remains as strong from those clashes a decade ago, the current crop of talent at both clubs does not. The San Siro would morph into a Pantheon on previous derby days – with Ronaldinho, Kaka and Luis Figo all gracing the Derby della Madonnina. Each a former World Player of the Year. AC MIlan goalkeeper Dida was hit by a firework during the Champions League quarter-final at the San Siro . Kaka, a former world player of the year, celebrates after scoring against rivals Inter 10 years ago . The AC Milan players embrace Jaap Stam after his goal in the Champions League derby match . Seven World Cup winners – past and future – took to the pitch when the side’s met in that Champions League quarter-final second leg. What Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio wouldn’t give for even an ounce of that quality in today’s side. ‘If players want to be worthy of this shirt, they must play better,’ he blasted on the club’s website after an embarrassing home draw with beleaguered Parma at the beginning of this month. ‘We are already working with Roberto Mancini to prepare Inter of the future. This is why I say we are evaluating who is worthy of wearing this jersey and who is not.’ Mancini’s reaction to the draw was to cancel his squad’s Easter break and haul them in for extra training. There is belief that with the former Manchester City boss back at the helm a corner can be turned. However, Financial Fair Play rules, coupled with a lack of revenue from European football, means it will have to be negotiated without the full backing of Indonesian owner Erick Thohir. Mancini was in charge during the Nerazzurri’s most fruitful period of recent times, winning three consecutive Scudetti along with two Coppa Italia titles between 2004 and 2008. Inter Milan were booed off the pitch after a disappointing draw with bottom-of-the-table Parma this month . 2004/05: 54,150 (2nd highest in Serie A) 05/06 51,444(2nd) 06/07 48,248(1st) 07/08 51,215(2nd) 08/09 55,431(2nd) 09/10 56,195(1st) 10/11 59,484(1st) 11/12 45,664(2nd) 12/13 46,654(1st) 13/14 46,246(1st) 14/15* 33,189(6th) *after 16 Milan home games and 14 Inter home games. 2004/05: 63,521 (1st highest in Serie A) 05/06: 59,499(1st) 06/07 46,292(2nd) 07/08: 56,906(1st) 08/09: 59,731(1st) 09/10: 42,951(3rd) 10/11: 53,916(2nd) 11/12: 49,359(1st) 12/13: 43,651(2nd) 13/14: 40,061(4th) 14/15*: 37,237(3rd) *after 16 Milan home games and 14 Inter home games. AC Milan players look dejected during a Serie A match against Sassuolo in January . ‘To come back to Inter is the biggest challenge,’ he told CNN at the beginning of April, six months after retaking the hot seat in November last year. Speculation suggests that the 50-year-old may look to his former club in a bid to breed another successful side, with Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri both sounded out as potential summer targets as Inter look to rebuild. Keeping hold of key squad members will be just as important to Mancini’s vision though – with the futures of striker Mauro Icardi and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic both far from certain. If there is a silver lining for Inter, it’s that their own woes pale in insignificance when compared with Milan’s troubles. The Rossoneri’s problems are not solely consigned to the field and relationships have fractured between the club and fans. Supporters boycotted the recent home game against Cagliari in protest at the way the club is being run and the refusal at board level to shed any light on its future – with details of a possible takeover by Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol so far withheld. Unclear, too, is the future of head coach Fillipo Inzaghi after a season stained with indifference. Like their city rivals however, there is ground on which the green shoots of recovery could grow. Roberto Mancini (left) and Filipo Inzaghi (right) are currently tasked with leading the clubs into a new era . Former AC Milan defender and captain Paolo Maldini could return to the club in a role upstairs . Plans for a new stadium, while not finalised, are being pushed, and talk of a return for club legend Paolo Maldini has also begun to gather pace. A change at boardroom level would almost certainly see the former centre back – who spent every one of his 24 years as a professional at Milan – offered his first role since retiring in 2009. The man himself would probably argue his reintroduction can’t come soon enough. ‘One of the sources of strength for a club like Milan, and for the few other clubs that are alike to Milan, is tradition,’ Maldini stated in a recent interview with Gazzetta TV. ‘Nowadays the real values of Milan are not being tended to.’ Those values are being called into question by fans of both clubs, as they continue to vote with their feet. Andriy Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo lead an exciting AC Milan team up front in 2005 . Average attendances at the San Siro have never been lower this century, dipping under 40,000 for the first time. In 2005, Milan boasted the best average in the league with 63,521, Inter taking second spot with 54,150. For 2015 those figures read just 37,237 and 33,189 respectively. Clearly then, there are still bridges to be built between the two fallen giants and their fans. It is their attention that matters more; much more than the gaze of onlookers from across the continent. ‘It won’t be the same derby of a few years ago,’ admitted Milan full back Ignazio Abate when interviewed by Sky this week. ‘But we won’t be lacking in motivation. We want to bring happiness to the club and our fans.’ This weekend’s derby provides both the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri a chance to restore a touch of pride for supporters at the end of an arduous season. Restoring either side to its former glory will be a much tougher task still. Neither Inter MIlan or AC Milan look like restoring themselves to former glory anytime soon .
highlights: Inter Milan host AC Milan in a Serie A derby this weekend .
  Both clubs are struggling to qualify for European competition .
  The Milan derby used to be a star-studded tie with the world's best players .
  Champions League game in 2005 was abandoned due to flares thrown .
  The current crop of talent is far cry from the stars 10 years ago .
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