AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has launched a plea for this weekend's city derby to benefit "those less fortunate than ourselves" as Europe reels from an unprecedented migrant crisis.

Milan visit city rivals Inter Milan on Sunday for the season's first 'Derby della Madonnina', with both sides eyeing victory amid what will be a crucial season for both.

AC Milan, the seven-time European champions and Inter, Italy's last European champions, in 2010, are desperate for a top finish this season after failing to qualify for Europe.

But Mihajlovic, a former Serbia international who experienced first-hand the stark reality of civil war in the former Yugoslavia, has momentarily brought the pre-match tension down a notch.

A former Inter Milan favourite during his playing days but now in charge of the rival Rossoneri, he called on both clubs to use the derby as a means towards helping the thousands of migrants pouring across borders in the hope of a better life on the continent.

"I feel privileged and honoured to be in the position of coaching AC Milan in a city where I finished my playing career, at Inter," Mihajlovic wrote in a column for La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Source: AFP