Salernitana vs AC Milan Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Serie A leaders AC Milan will look to consolidate their position at the top of the table when they take on bottom-placed Salernitana.

AC Milan went top of Serie A last weekend following Inter Milan’s draw with Napoli. The Rossoneri have played a game more, but are well and truly in the title race this season. They have a chance to solidify their case at the top when they take on bottom-placed Salernitana.

Stefano Pioli’s side go into the game as the heavy favourite and will be expected to come away with all three points. Goals from Franck Kessie and Alexis Saelemaekers gave Milan the win over Salernitana in the reverse fixture.

Milan have several favourable matches coming up, and it presents them with an excellent opportunity to offset Inter’s game in hand. Pioli’s men cannot afford to drop any cheap points and must continue putting pressure on Inter. There is no room for error with just 13 games to go in Serie A (14 for Inter) this season.

Salernitana, meanwhile, have been struggling with both on-field and off-field issues. Their first season back in the top flight in 23 years has been memorable for all the wrong reasons, and they look set to go down at the end of the campaign.

The minnows have shown some fight in the new year, picking up five points from their five league games in 2022. A win over Milan will be a moment to cherish, and it remains to be seen if they can pull off the seemingly impossible. Saturday’s clash is a potential banana skin for the Rossoneri, and the onus will be on them to take the game to the opposition.

Salernitana appear to have readied a final roll of the die to stave off relegation by bringing in new manager Davide Nicola earlier this week. Whether this will pay dividends remains to be seen. 

Team News & Tactics

Salernitana

The home side will be without several players on the night owing to injury. This lengthy causality list includes Francesco Di Tacchio, Matteo Ruggeri, Simone Verdi, Andrea Schiavone, Mamadou Coulibaly and Norbert Gyomber.

The match will serve as a baptism of fire for the new manager, Davide Nicola, who took over the reins at the bottom-placed club on 15 February. The Salernitana boss has a difficult job on his hands and will hope that the new manager bounce can help his side come away with at least a point against Milan.

The 48-year-old is likely to field a 4-3-1-2 formation that will challenge Milan for dominance in the middle of the park. Luigi Sepe is expected to start in goal behind a back four of Pasquale Mazzocchi, Radu Dragusin, Federico Fazio and Luca Ranieri.

In the midfield battle, Lassana Coulibaly, Ivan Radovanovic and Grigoris Kastanos will challenge Milan’s double pivot. The Salernitana trio could very well form a narrow setup to cut off passing lanes, forcing the visitors to resort to long balls.

French veteran Franck Ribery could start in the attacking midfielder’s role and seek to use his vast experience to pierce the Milan backline. In Federico Bonazzoli and Milan Djuric, Ribery will have two runners who will aim to run into channels and hit the visitors on the counter.

Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Sepe; Mazzocchi, Dragusin, Fazio, Ranieri; Radovanovic, Coulibaly, Kastanos; Ribery; Djuric, Bonazzoli

AC Milan

Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still battling injury and will be unavailable on the night. He will be joined on the sidelines by Marko Lazetic, who is undergoing a personal conditioning program and Matteo Gabbia, who is out with plantar fasciitis. Simon Kjaer is another long-term absentee who will not return to action anytime soon.

French international Theo Hernandez, however, returns from suspension and will be expected to slot straight back into the first XI. Pioli’s time at San Siro has been marked by the 4-2-3-1 formation that has worked like a charm for his side. The AC Milan boss has little reason to change the winning formula on Saturday.

Mike Maignan is a shoo-in between the sticks and will be protected by a back four of Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Alessio Romagnoli and Theo Hernandez. The midfield duo of Sandro Tonali and Franck Kessie will continue in the double pivot, helping anchor the midfield and assert the visitors’ dominance in the middle of the field.

Belgian winger Alexis Saelemaekers looks set to replace Junior Messias on the right wing and will complement the excellent Rafael Leao on the other flank. Brahim Diaz will act as the playmaker behind an in-form Olivier Giroud, who has been pivotal for Milan in the last few weeks.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Tonali, Kessie; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Giroud

Key Stats

• Salernitana have not defeated AC Milan in the Serie A since 1948. It is their only win over the Rossoneri in five league meetings.
• AC Milan have scored two or more goals in every Serie A game versus Salernitana. The average of 2.4 goals per game is Milan’s highest against another side currently in the Italian top flight.
• The last time a bottom-placed side defeated a top-placed side in Serie A was in May 2016. Since then, the leaders have won all nine matches.
• This season, AC Milan has won 31 points against top-half sides, a number bettered by only Napoli. Salernitana, meanwhile, have won just four points.
• AC Milan have won more away games than any other side in the top five European leagues since Stefano Pioli took over in October 2019.

Player to Watch

Rafael Leao

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The Portuguese winger has been sensational for Milan this season and appears to have returned to his best at just the right moment. The 22-year-old is in fine nick and has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last six top-flight games.

A tricky customer on the wings, Leao’s pace adds another dimension to his direct attacking style and could prove to be too much for Salernitana to handle on the night. With ten goals and six assists in just 27 games, it has proven to be a season to remember for the flying winger.

Leao has linked up well with Theo Hernandez this season, and the Frenchman’s return from suspension will add more zing to Milan’s left-wing. How well the duo links up on the night could set the stage for how the game ends.

Prediction

Salernitana 0-2 AC Milan

Given the disparity in quality and form, it is not easy to see anyone but AC Milan come away with three points on the night. Pioli’s men have been in fine nick the last few weeks and have momentum driving them forward.

The Rossoneri might be at the top of Serie A, but Inter still have their destiny in their own hands thanks to their game in hand. All Milan can do is keep winning their games and hope their rivals slip up. Salernitana might prove to be a tricky challenge this weekend owing to the buzz surrounding the new manager, but Milan’s quality should ultimately shine through.