AC Milan will take on a struggling Spezia on Saturday as the hosts will have the chance to flex their muscles in Serie A.
AC Milan will try to get back to winning ways when they face 15th-placed Spezia in the top flight. The Rossoneri were inflicted an uncharacteristic defeat by Torino in the last match and they will try to bounce back with a stupendous performance.
Milan won’t have much time to celebrate their 4-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg as they will have a crack at intensifying their title defence. Milan ended their 11-year wait for an Italian league title last season and so far have backed it up with a number of massive displays.
They are currently in third place as Napoli are having a dream run and it is looking immensely difficult for Milan to have a shot at the league title. A minor blip at the hands of Torino handed them their second defeat and Stefano Pioli needs to ensure complacency doesn’t grapple them following a near-perfect win over RB Leipzig in the continental competition.
Spezia already breached Milan’s fortress last season and will be hoping to replicate wonders when they visit the San Siro on Saturday. Their woeful form hasn’t put them in the relegation dogfight yet but if they fail to find out any differences they could be demoted further down the table.
Spezia have lost their last six away games in the top flight without scoring a goal and they need to avoid that for seven games running. Milan’s galvanised home form could be too hot to handle for them and a solitary point from this game could feel like a win.
Team News and Tactics
AC Milan
The reigning Italian champions do have a broad injury list as the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mike Maignan, Davide Calabria, Alessandro Florenzi and Alexis Saelemaekers are still in the treatment room.
Veteran shot-stopper Ciprian Tatarusanu has had some magic moments in the goal and in the absence of Maignan he has been the preferred choice. Matteo Gabbia should arrive in the starting lineup as a part of a team shakeup and he will be in charge of the defence alongside Fikayo Tomori.
Pierre Kalulu and Theo Hernandez will compete from the right and left side of the defence. Tommaso Pobega will be given a start in the middle of the field and Sandro Tonali will be the deepest midfielder.
Junior Messias netted a goal against Salzburg and would want to produce some magical moments from the right wing. Rafael Leao has had some menacing records against Spezia and he will try to inflict more damage from the left wing. Divock Origi will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Tonali, Pobega; Messias, Diaz, Leao; Origi
Spezia
For Spezia, Simone Bastoni and Viktor Kovalenko are expected to be out for a long period while Dimitris Nikolaou will be serving a suspension.
Bartlomiej Dragowski will be the last line of defence in the goal. Chelsea loanee Ethan Ampadu will stand tall in the backline alongside Jakub Kiwior. Kelvin Amian and Arkadiusz Reca will complete the back four.
Albin Ekdal and Mehdi Bourabia will form a double pivot and act as an extra bit of protection in front of the four-man backline. Kevin Agudelo and Emmanuel Gyasi will operate from both flanks and Daniele Verde will feature just behind the main striker.
M’Bala Nzola will start up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dragowski; Amian, Ampadu, Kiwior, Reca; Ekdal, Bourabia; Agudelo, Verde, Gyasi; Nzola
Key Stats
- Spezia have managed two wins out of their four meetings with Milan in the Serie A
- Spezia also inflicted a rare away defeat on Milan when they defeated the Rossoneri 2-1 in February.
- Nine Serie A clean sheets in 2022 boast about their watertight defence.
Key Player
Rafael Leao
The Portuguese winger’s favourite opponent in the league has been Spezia as he already has scored three goals against them and would definitely fancy a couple more.
He has been scoring goals for fun and Spezia will be aware of his threat.
Prediction
AC Milan 3-0 Spezia
Home form is what has been AC Milan’s bedrock for their success and Spezia’s underwhelming form shouldn’t be able to affect the reigning champions as it seems. The hosts are expected to make some noise in what could be an easy affair.
