AC Milan will aim to get within touching distance of second place when they take on Salernitana in the early Serie A kick-off on Friday.
AC Milan will be keen to close the gap to second-placed Juventus when they travel to the Arechi Stadium to take on Salernitana in the Serie A on Friday night.
Stefano Pioli’s men have not travelled well of late and are winless in their last three league trips away from San Siro. Failing to win on the night will see the Rossoneri go four such matches without a win for the first time since Gennaro Gattuso was at the helm.
Meanwhile, the Granata are also keen to end a poor run of form, having gone on a run of three defeats following their stunning win over Lazio. Currently bottom of the league, Salernitana will need a win to ensure they stay without touching distance of the 17th spot.
Filippo Inzaghi earned his stripes as a legend during his playing days at San Siro. There will be no love lost as the Italian icon will now strive to get one over his former club. The task will not be easy but as we saw with Frosinone and Bologna in the Coppa Italia this week, anything is possible if David can take the game to Goliath.
Salernitana are favourites to go down and given that they are five points off safety, shutting shop at the back is of little use. Milan will be aware of it and will hope that the home side comes out to face them, leaving gaps behind that could be exploited.
The clash could have implications at both ends of the table, and it remains to be seen who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the tactics and how both sides could line upon the night.
Team News & Tactics
Salernitana
While Filippo Inzaghi’s stature as a player is celebrated in Milan, the same cannot be said of his stint as a manager at San Siro. He has a similarly thankless task at Salernitana and will certainly boost his prospects if he can keep the Granata from going down.
A three-game losing streak has consigned the home side to the bottom of Serie A with a five-point gap from safety. Another defeat this week will certainly see alarm bells ring out at the Arechi, despite there being plenty to play for.
Inzaghi will be boosted by the return of Federico Fazio who was suspended last time out. Apart from Mexican veteran Guillermo Ochoa, Salernitana have a fully-fit squad to choose from for the game.
Despite their second-half collapse against Atalanta, Inzaghi’s four-man defensive setup impressed in the opening 45 minutes. He is likely to retain the same formation with Benoit Costil in goal. The 36-year-old will be protected by the backline of Flavius Daniliuc, Norbert Gyomber, Lorenzo Pirola and Pasquale Mazzocchi.
Lassana Coulibaly should form the base of the three-man midfield, with Agustin Martegani and Giulio Maggiore offering support. The trio can give their teammates a massive push if they can shackle the Milan midfield on the night. Antonio Candreva and Loum Tchaouna should drop deeper to play as dual number tens, with Boulaye Dia starting upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Costil; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola, Mazzocchi; Maggiore, Coulibaly, Martegani; Candreva, Dia, Tchaouna
AC Milan
Stefano Pioli was handed a fresh injury headache when Tommaso Pobega limped off against Monza. It adds to a worrying list of unavailable players with stars such as Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu and Noah Okafor all injured.
However, it is not all bad news as Davide Calabria is available after having served his suspension, while Yunus Musah has also recovered from an illness. Milan are likely to field a 4-3-3 formation, with Mike Maignan in goal.
The Frenchman should be protected by a back four of Calabria, Jan-Carlo Simic, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandes. Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek should reprise their roles in the midfield, with Musah also joining them in the middle of the park. Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao will provide the width down the flanks, while Olivier Giroud will function as the lone striker upfield.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Simic, Tomori, Hernandez; Reijnders, Musah, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Giroud, Rafael Leao
Key Stats
- Salernitana have defeated AC Milan just once in the Serie A, all the way back in 1948. They have lost five other games while drawing the remaining two.
- Both sides have found the net in all the Serie A games played between Salernitana and AC Milan at the Arechi Stadium.
- A loss on the night will see Salernitana lose four Serie A games on the spin for the first time since 2021.
- Failure to win on the night will see Milan go four away league games on the spin without a win under Stefano Pioli for the first time ever.
- Only Inter Milan and Bologna average more points per game than AC Milan over the last four league matchdays.
Player to Watch
Olivier Giroud
The Frenchman is AC Milan’s ace striker and despite his age continues to make a difference for the Rossoneri. While Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic have proven to be dynamic entities out wide, a lot of how effective Milan’s attack is depends on how Giroud performs.
At 37, the veteran striker is not getting any younger. However, he is likely to be the focal point of a frontline that will aim to put Salernitana to the sword. Should he get off to a good start, Stefano Pioli can breathe easy and be rest assured of three points at the Arechi.
Prediction
Salernitana 1-2 AC Milan
Salernitana made life difficult for Atalanta last time out, even taking the lead in the opening 45 minutes. However, a second-half collapse saw them succumb to yet another defeat. The Granata are likely to once again make life difficult for Milan this Friday. But the visitors’ superior options off the bench give them an advantage.
Milan have shown the propensity to drop cheap points this season and could very well struggle to break down Salernitana should Inzaghi get his tactics right. However, the game winners in Pioli’s XI need just one moment of magic, handing the Rossoneri a narrow win on the night.
