AC Milan and Inter Milan didn't always share the San Siro

AC Milan and Inter Milan will play both legs of the Champions League semi-final at the San Siro, and there's a good reason both sides play there.

Both Milan teams will be hoping to make it through to the Champions League final, when they face each other in two derby games over the next two weeks.

They have history in the competition, having faced each other in the same stage 20 years ago and, more famously, in the quarter final in 2005.

That year Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa were left standing and watching as flares from the Inter fans rained down onto the pitch and struck Milan goalkeeper Dida, bringing a premature end to the match.

Playing both legs in the same venue is pretty unique to the Rossoneri and Nerazzurri, who are both still competing to qualify for next season's competition by finishing in Serie A's top four.

Fortunately neither side has to worry too much about where they'll get changed ahead of the games, as there is actually three changing rooms inside the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, one for each and one for an away team.

But you might be asking, 'surely it would be easier if each team had their own stadium, well that was actually the case up until 1947.

The San Siro was originally built just for AC Milan in 1926, with the club owning the stadium, which was originally called Nuovo Stadio Calcistico San Siro.

Milan defeated their city rivals Inter 6-3 in the opening match, with 35,000 inside the ground at the time.

The majestic San Siro. Image: Alamy

Inter, meanwhile, were playing downtown in the Arena Civica, which held a far more modest 10,000 fans, and wanted to move somewhere bigger.

The Municipality of Milan took over the ownership of the San Siro in 1935 and, with no other site for the blue and black side, they moved in with their fierce rivals in 1947.

They have shared the ground ever since, with it being located relatively centrally for fans of both teams, and holding 80,018 seats, more than any other stadium in Italy.

Both teams have considered moving out over the years, and recently those talks have intensified, along with plans to knock it down and rebuild it, or just to renovate the current stadium.

The San Siro's most famous picture. Image: Alamy

Italy is set to host the Winter Olympics in 2026 and the stadium is hosting the opening ceremony, meaning it certainly won't be knocked down until then.

Interestingly, this week Italian football and rugby announced they were coming together to bid on hosting Euro 2032 in football and the men's and women's Rugby World Cups in 2035 and 2037.

Those plans could see large redevelopment paid for by the government, as happened ahead of Italia 1990 World Cup, and that currently includes the San Siro.

The Giuseppe Meazza named after the World Cup winner, who played for both sides and managed Inter, has previously hosted matches in the 1934 and 1990 World Cups, Euro 1980 and four Champions League finals.