AC Milan will be keen to close the gap on the Serie A top two when they face AC Monza on Sunday.
Fresh from their comeback win over Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League, AC Milan will be keen to secure all three points against AC Monza at San Siro on Sunday.
Stefano Pioli’s men have thrown away their good start to the season in recent weeks and now find themselves adrift in the quest for the Serie A title. As things stand, the Rossoneri are currently third in the table, eight points off Juventus in second spot.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men have played a game more, which gives Milan the incentive to secure all three points on Sunday and draw closer to the Bianconeri. Monza, on the other hand, are just eight points off Milan and can move up the table should they pull off the impossible on Sunday.
Both teams have met just twice in Serie A, with Milan winning both games. History could be made at San Siro should Raffaele Palladino’s men secure a positive result. Monza ended their three-game wait for a win by defeating Genoa 1-0 last time around. They will now hope to use that momentum to take the game to their opponents.
Milan have looked far from solid this season and have shown the tendency to flutter when pushed against the wall. Whether Monza have the courage to do so remains to be seen. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Stefano Pioli’s men might have won away to Newcastle United. But it was a bittersweet result as the Rossoneri were still knocked down to the Europa League from the UEFA Champions League. They will now turn their attention to the domestic front and aim to end 2023 on a high.
Injuries continue to wreak havoc at San Siro. The likes of Marco Sportiello, Malick Thiaw, Mattia Caldara, Pierre Kalulu, Marco Pellegrino and Simon Kjaer are all nursing injuries and unavailable. With Davide Calabria suspended, youngster Davide Bartesaghi could be given another opportunity at the back.
Pioli still has a decent roster to call upon and is likely to retain his 4-2-3-1 formation, giving his side flexibility when it comes to transitioning from defence to attack. Mike Maignan should start in goal behind the back four of Alessandro Florenzi, Fikayo Tomori, Bartesaghi, and Theo Hernandez.
Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders should hold the fort in the middle of the park, giving Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao the freedom to push forward. Olivier Giroud should retain his spot up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Florenzi, Tomori, Bartesaghi, Hernandez; Musah, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud
AC Monza
Monza ended their three-game winless streak in Serie A with a victory over Genoa last weekend. Milan will provide a much harder challenge, and Raffaele Palladino will hope to make the most of the home side’s inconsistency.
The visitors also have several players missing with Gianluca Caprari, Armando Izzo, Giorgio Cittadini and Franco Carboni all injured. Samuele Vignato is a doubt for the clash, while Papu Gomez is suspended. It is not all bad news as Luca Caldirola and Pablo Mari should return to action.
A 3-4-2-1 formation appears to be the way for the night, with Michele Di Gregorio in goal. He is likely to be protected by the backline of Danilo D’Ambrosio, Pablo Marí and Luca Caldirola.
Patrick Ciurria and Giorgos Kyriakopoulos should provide the width, while Roberto Gagliardini and Matteo Pessina hold the fort in the middle of the park. Andrea Colpani and Dany Mota should function as dual number tens, with AC Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Gagliardini, Pessina, Kyriakopoulos; Colpani, Mota; Colombo
Key Stats
- Only Las Palmas have conceded a greater percentage of goals (61%) in the final 30 minutes of games than AC Milan across the top five European leagues.
- AC Milan have a hundred per cent win rate against Monza in Serie A.
- A loss on Sunday will see Monza extend their loss streak away to Lombardi-based teams to four games.
- AC Milan are the only side yet to draw a home game in Serie A this season.
- A loss on Sunday will see AC Milan lose consecutive Serie A games for the first time this year.
Player to Watch
Christian Pulisic
Milan have a poor record in Serie A without Rafael Leao. So, it is imperative that they add another goalscoring threat to their arsenal. Having arrived last summer, Pulisic has taken well to life in Italy and has six goals and three assists in 19 matches across all competitions.
The American found the back of the net against Newcastle United and will hope to give the AC Monza backline a difficult time. With the visitors likely to double-team Leao, this could open up space for Pulisic to make use of his blistering pace to exploit.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-1 AC Monza
While AC Milan are the favourites, Monza can pack a punch on their day. Stefano Pioli’s men have lacked conviction and can be beaten should Monza show some bravery. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw with both sides taking a share of the spoils.