AC Milan will be keen to get back to winning ways after the midweek disappointment when they face Hellas Verona, who are eager to widen the gap from the relegation zone.
Sergio Conceicao will want to build momentum against Hellas Verona ahead of next week as his AC Milan side have a big task on their hands to reach the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Rossoneri went to Rotterdam and lost out to Feyenoord, as an Igor Paixao goal proved enough to secure a win for the Dutch giants.
While the tie is nowhere close to being closed, Milan have every chance to make amends, but Conceicao will feel the squad lacks the momentum. The best way to build that would be to win over the weekend, as the Rossoneri face Hellas Verona at San Siro.
Now, Milan shift their focus to the league, where they have another big task to climb up in the ranks to make the top four. Lazio occupy the fourth spot as of now and lead Milan by seven points, meaning Conceicao will have to instil a must-win mentality in the squad. However, they have been unbeaten in their last three games following their defeat against Juventus.
Hellas Verona have struggled against the traditional big teams this season, and last wekeend’s 5-0 thumping at the hands of Atalanta showed just that. They have also never beaten either of the Milan sides away from home since 1957, so that, too, adds to the pressure on them ahead of this visit to face Milan.
Either way, they are currently not very much safe from the threat of relegation, with only three points separating them from 18th-placed Parma. Hence, Paolo Zanetti will have a clear idea of what he seeks from this game, as the primary objective here is to get as far away as possible from the relegation zone.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Sergio Conceicao might rotate his pack a little as he wants some of the key stars to fit in the return leg against Feyenoord. There are those still out of the squad with injuries, as Emerson Royal, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Warren Bondo, and Alessandro Florenzi are all out of contention. Fikayo Tomori will serve a suspension following his sending-off against Empoli.
Meanwhile, Yunus Musah will return from his suspension and here is the chance the American might slot straight into Milan’s midfield. Conceicao may also want a similar lineup from midweek as he seeks to build momentum, meaning Musah might start in the advanced role on the left wing rather than in midfield.
Hence, there is a likelihood that he names an unchanged lineup from midweek, with Malick Thiaw and Stahinja Pavlovic pencilled in for central roles in the defence, while Kyle Walker and Theo Hernandez will take up the full-back roles.
Meanwhile, Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana are the main central midfielders, while Joao Felix might continue in the attacking role further ahead. Rafael Leao and Santiago Gimenez will complete the attacking setup, with the latter likely to pip Tammy Abraham to keep his starting place at the tip of the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Thiaw, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Felix, Leao; Gimenez
Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona have a slightly longer list of inured or absent players ahead of this trip to San Siro. Martin Frese, Abdou Harroui, Casper Tengstedt, Suat Serdar and Dailon Livramento are absent due to injuries.
Daniele Ghilardi remains suspended for this one after accumulating a troublesome yellow card in the loss to Atalanta. Paolo Zanetti will stick with his back three style, with Flavius Daniliuc, Diego Coppola and Pawel Dawidowicz the preferred players there, with the latter replacing the suspended Ghilardi.
Jackson Tchatchuoua and Domagoj Bradaric will feature in the wing-back positions, while Cheikh Niasse and Ondrej Duda are set for the central midfield roles. Tomas Suslov will feature in the advanced role behind the two forwards, Amin Sarr and Daniel Mosquera.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Montipo; Daniliuc, Coppola, Dawidowicz; Tchatchoua, Niasse, Duda, Bradaric; Suslov; Sarr, Mosquera
Key Stats
- AC Milan have won their last eight matches against Hellas Verona in all competitions.
- AC Milan are unbeaten in their last three games in Serie A.
- Hellas Verona has not won at San Siro since 1957, against both Milan sides.
- Hellas Verona are only three points away from the relegation zone.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
It is that time of the season when a team like AC Milan need their best players to step up, and there is no one better than Leao in the squad to deliver the goods. Following a drab performance away in Rotterdam, Sergio Conceicao will hope to see the best of the Portuguese winger, and he will be the player the manager would want to have a brilliant game.
Leao personally would want to be the hero of the game next week in the return leg against Feyenoord, and the best way to build towards that is with a top performance against Hellas Verona. The fans will also look up to players like Leao to get the attack flowing, and he might just deliver this time around.
Prediction
AC Milan 3-0 Hellas Verona
In a long series of dreadful results against big sides this season, Hellas Verona come to San Siro for another stern test. They only recently lost 5-0 to Atalanta, and while the San Siro crowd will be looking for a similar result, Sergio Conceicao may look to build towards the midweek clash.
Hence, the big expectation is to see Milan wrap up the game early, and their attackers might answer the call and look for goals as soon as possible. The Rossoneri will then see out the game and ensure they keep a clean sheet to take three valuable points.
