AC Milan escaped severe consequences last weekend despite dropping points and will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they face Udinese.
San Siro is the venue for the clash between AC Milan and Udinese on Friday night, as the Rossoneri aim to extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table. Stefano Pioli’s team have shown good improvement in recent weeks, beating rivals Inter Milan. Yet they will thank their stars for recent events as they maintain a slender lead at the top.
The win against Inter on 5th February helped Milan close the gap to a single point, after which they narrowly secured three points against Sampdoria. However, in the last matchday against bottom-placed Salernitana, Milan could only draw and drop two valuable points. Luckily for them, Inter suffered a terrible defeat at home against Sassuolo.
Inter have a game in hand over Milan, and with only two points separating them, the Rossoneri will have to secure a victory against Udinese at all costs. The challengers are expected to keep the pressure with the Serie A title is scheduled to go down the wire.
Udinese come into this class in disappointing form. They have registered just a single win since 19th December when they beat Cagliari away from home. Their only victory in 2022 came to ten-man Torino two matchdays earlier. Udinese have since suffered a 4-0 beating at the hands of Hellas Verona and managed a draw against Lazio.
If their form continues this way, Udinese will soon find themselves in an unlikely relegation battle as they remain only three points ahead of 18th-placed Venezia. A few good results will provide a timely boost to raise their hopes of survival, although they have to be at their best against table-toppers Milan at San Siro.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will continue his injury-enforced absence against Udinese, as the Swede is still short of match fitness following ankle trouble. Simor Kjaer remains out for the long-term, and beyond that, Milan do not have any other injury-related problems.
"My edge in the title race? AC Milan" ?⚫
The Coach expressed his confidence in the squad"Io ho il Milan" ?⚫
Tutta la fiducia del Mister in vista di questo finale di stagione#SempreMilan #MilanUdinese pic.twitter.com/uyMi3NJCY3— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 24, 2022
Stefano Pioli could prefer a back four of Davide Calabria, Alessio Romagnoli, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez, with Sandro Tonali and Franck Kessie set to form a midfield partnership. Ismael Bennaccer, who could have been a likely starter, remains suspended.
After being played extensively for the last few weeks, Pioli will be tempted to give Olivier Giroud a well-earned rest. However, given how close things are at the top of the table, the veteran Frenchman could be preferred to start this game again, with Ante Rebic once again acting as a substitute.
Giroud will have support in the final third from Junior Messias on the right and Rafael Leao on the left. Brahim Diaz ought to slot in as the No. 10 and look to stitch play together.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Romagnoli, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Kessie; Messias, Diaz, Leao; Giroud
Udinese
Caretaker manager Gabriele Cioffi will have to take a call on his centre-forward selection with Beto so far being considered to start. The forward has hit a terrible run of form, having been unable to score in his last five games in Serie A. However, he remains the club’s top scorer this term and could be included on reputation alone.
?️ Cioffi: "Dobbiamo essere solidi e coraggiosi".
Le parole del mister alla vigilia della partita contro il Milan?️ Cioffi: "Solidity and courage must be our hallmarks."
The boss shares his thoughts before Friday's game with AC Milan.⚪⚫ #ForzaUdinese #AlèUdin #MilanUdinese pic.twitter.com/ofqk7rbclZ
— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) February 24, 2022
Cioffi also has the option of choosing Isaac Success in Beto’s place, although he too would not guarantee any goals due to his form. Gerard Deulofeu will partner either of these forwards in a front two as Udinese desperately push for a positive result against Milan.
Defender Bram Nuytinck could be a major doubt as he was seen training by himself after recently recovering from an injury. Roberto Pereyra, who recently made his comeback, may not be risked in the starting lineup either
To trouble Milan’s formation, Cioffi could go with a back three of Rodrigo Becao, Pablo Mari and Nehuen Perez, while fielding a midfield five with Nahuel Molina and Brandon Soppy lining up as the wing-backs. They have a solid foundation at the back, but Milan’s overall quality could prove too much to hold.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Silvestri; Becao, Mari, Perez; Soppy, Arslan, Walace, Makengo, Molina; Deulofeu, Beto
Key Stats
- AC Milan are unbeaten against Udinese since Stefano Pioli started managing the club in 2019.
- AC Milan have kept a clean sheet in their last three games at San Siro in all competitions.
- AC Milan and Udinese played out a 1-1 draw in their reverse fixture.
- Udinese have managed a single victory in their last 14 games at San Siro when facing AC Milan.
- Udinese have not scored in their last three away games in Serie A.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
The Portuguese winger has been hitting his stride in recent weeks and will get another shot at establishing himself as the main man for Milan against Udinese. The attacker certainly has goals and assists in his locker, as seen by his tally of 16 goal contributions this season.
But he now needs to add the element of consistency to his game. With the title race heating up, it is up to the Portuguese to step up and set the tone for his side. And against lowly teams such as Udinese, he should be getting on the scoresheet and helping the club maintain their advantage at the top of the table.
Prediction
AC Milan 2-0 Udinese
AC Milan suffered a terrible setback against Salernitana, and despite the result against the bottom-placed side, the Rossoneri are absolute favourites to Udinese. They have superior quality in their ranks and should outshine their opponents at San Siro on Friday night.
Udinese have been terrible in recent weeks and come into this game under tremendous pressure with there being a chance of them dropping into the relegation zone. However, they are unlikely to muster up much of a fight against the league leaders, who are expected to grab all three points and maintain their lead over Inter Milan, who play Genoa on the same night.
