AC Milan will be looking to bounce back from midweek disappointment when they travel to take on a struggling AC Monza side.
AC Monza have not had the greatest of times when playing AC Milan. However, in their most recent encounter, they outwitted the Rossoneri with a 4-2 win. New boss Alessandro Nesta, once a great player at Milan, will hope to inflict problems on his former side and bring his own team out of the shadows of a relegation battle.
In recent times, Nesta’s men have shown some resilience with a three-game unbeaten run that included their first win of the season against Verona, sandwiched between draws against AS Roma and Venezia. However, Monza was brought back to life with Atalanta recording a 2-0 victory in midweek, which has pitched them again closer to the bottom three.
Meanwhile, Paulo Fonseca will be looking for answers following yet another disappointing midweek evening. Milan would have come into the game thinking about closing the gap on Napoli to just five points. However, Antonio Conte’s men delivered a crushing blow to those hopes and now lead them by an incredible 11 points.
Such a points gap with the top order will seem unsustainable for the Rossoneri if they are even thinking about a possible title challenge. At this rate, Milan could even struggle to nail down a place in the race for the top four.
AC Milan do have a chance to stabilise things out in their season, as a victory over Monza will be morale-boosting at best. Hence, it is imperative for Fonseca’s men to get a win under his belt, or else the pressure will keep mounting to unsustainable levels from next week on his role in the dugout.
Team News & Tactics
AC Monza
Alessandro Nesta will have to contend with some injury issues in his squad before naming the ideal starting lineup for Saturday. Samuele Birindelli, Stefano Sensi, Alessio Cragno, and Andrea Petagna are all out of contention for the Saturday game against Milan.
Monza will have Warren Bondo and Daniel Maldini back in contention. At the same time, Nesta will also look to field experienced striker Milan Djuric in place of Mirko Maric, who got a rare start in the loss to Atalanta.
A back three could be used in order to start against Milan, with Armando Izzo, Pablo Mari, and Andrea Carboni all pencilled in for a place in the backline. Matteo Pessina and Warren Bondo are the preferred choices in central midfield, while Maldini and Dany Mota are expected to play in the advanced role behind Djuric.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Pessina, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Maldini; Djuric
AC Milan
Paulo Fonseca has a few players out for this game against Monza, with Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, Tammy Abraham, and Matteo Gabbia sitting on the sidelines. Luka Jovic, who also had fitness issues, will be expected to return to the squad. Fonseca could even name him in the starting lineup, although he will mostly feature from the bench at some stage in the game.
Milan will welcome Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez back into the fold. Both stars have been suspended for recent games. They will automatically come into the starting lineup at the expense of Yunus Musah and Filippo Terracciano.
Rafael Leao, who was on the bench for the most recent game, will be expected back into the starting lineup and will take his customary position on the left-hand side of the front three. Christian Pulisic will feature in a more central role to accommodate Samuel Chukwueze on the right wing, with Alvaro Morata leading the line for Milan.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Royal, Thiaw, Tomori, hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
Key Stats
- Monza have failed to win 18 of their last 19 matches in Serie A.
- Monza have seen over 2.5 goals in their last three matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- AC Monza have managed only one victory over AC Milan since their return to the Italian top flight.
- AC Milan are 11 points off leaders Napoli in the Serie A standings.
- AC Milan have scored at least two goals in their last three matches against Monza in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
Having been benched in their midweek game to leaders Napoli at San Siro, Leao will be itching to get back into the starting lineup and prove it was a disastrous decision, to begin with, to keep him on the bench for such a clash. Either way, there have been some question marks about his performances this season, and he will want to prove those doubters wrong.
Leao has a big reputation in Serie A, and he is on the edge of diminishing that should his below-par displays continue. Those performances are directly affecting his Milan side’s quest to gain a grip on their season, which is slowly turning into a disaster.
Prediction
AC Monza 1-3 AC Milan
Monza have some problems and are thoroughly struggling for relevance despite a recent resurgent run with two draws and a win. However, the pressure is truly on Alessandro Nesta to deliver a significant result and bring the side out of the shadows of a relegation fight.
Meanwhile, AC Milan will rely on their extensive record against Monza and probably set things right after losing their most recent encounter earlier this year. Paulo Fonseca will urge his players to deliver a morale-boosting result, and they will do that in a big way on Saturday. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the Rossoneri.
