Fiorentina visit San Siro to keep their fight for a top-four place intact, while the Rossoneri will be desperate to return to winning ways.
AC Milan maintained their unbeaten streak against rivals Inter Milan as they drew their home leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final ahead of the Serie A clash with Fiorentina this weekend. The Rossoneri took the cup tie into the second leg with everything to play for, and Sergio Conceicao will be eager to reach the final and secure a second domestic trophy in his brief period at the club so far.
While they remain afloat in the Coppa Italia, there are considerable doubts over AC Milan’s top-four credentials. The Rossoneri lost further ground to their rivals as Conceicao’s men were defeated by title-chasing Napoli at Stadio Maradona, as a late strike from Luka Jovic proved ineffective after Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku had given Antonio Conte’s side an advantage early in the first half.
AC Milan are currently preparing to host top-four chasing Fiorentina at San Siro, and they are four points behind the Viola in the standings. If they have ambitions to finish in the UEFA Champions League places, the Rossoneri must overcome a nine-point advantage that fourth-placed Bologna have over them, which seems like a steep task given only eight games remain in the league.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina also faced a title-chasing team in Atalanta but made full use of their home advantage as a solitary Moise Kean strike proved enough to stall Gian Piero Gasperini’s title challenge. While the win for Viola kept them alive in the race for a top-four finish, it certainly made a title challenge for the Bergamo side difficult given Inter Milan and Napoli have opened considerable gaps up top.
Raffaele Palladino will certainly consider the current season a success, although Fiorentina still have a lot to play for. While they are competing for a place in the Champions League, they should ideally target at least Europa League qualification.
They also have the matter of playing in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinals against Slovenian side NK Celje and are the favourites to progress into the semi-finals. However, they must assert their belief that they can certainly charge for a Champions League place with another big result against AC Milan at San Siro.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Sergio Conceicao is not faced with too many problems with his squad ahead of this home game with Fiorentina. Emerson Royal is yet to recover from his problem which has kept him out for a while. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was taken to the hospital with a hernia complaint last weekend and will be absent from proceedings for this clash on Saturday.
Alex Jimenez must serve a ban and that does open the door for one of Samuel Chukwueze or Riccardo Sottil. There is a chance none of those two start as Conceicao might continue to prefer a tried and tested formula of having Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on either flank.
Widespread reports stated Milan were not eager to hold on to Joao Felix beyond his loan spell, meaning the Portuguese international may not be selected ahead of Tijjani Reijnders for the attacking midfield role.
Yunus Musah is also expected to return from an illness that saw him miss the cup clash in midweek, as the USMNT star could partner with Youssouf Fofana in the middle of the park. Conceicao will also have to decide on his starting striker, although Tammy Abraham’s goal in midweek could place him as the slight favourite to start ahead of Santiago Gimenez.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Musah, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders Leao; Abraham
Fiorentina
Raffaele Palladino’s injury troubles eased up as Robin Gosens, who missed the encounter with former side Atalanta should be fit to feature against AC Milan. Andrea Coplani is probably the only player out of contention for Fiorentina ahead of the weekend, which could see a strong lineup against Milan.
The pressure of the UEFA Europa Conference League is not that great compared to other teams playing in the other two competitions in Europe. Palladino will be cautious about using Gosens just yet, meaning Fabiano Parisi will be preferred on the left wing-back position with Dodo featuring on the other flank.
Danilo Cataldi will sit at the base of Palladino’s midfield, with Albert Gudmundsson playing the advanced role behind key striker Moise Kean. Rolando Mandragora and Nicolo Fagioli will feature in the other midfield positions. At the back, Palladino will prefer a back three-man defence, with Marin Pongracic, Pablo Mari, and Luca Ranieri featuring there.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): de Gea; Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri; Dodo, Mandragora, Cataldi, Fagioli, Parisi; Gudmundsson, Kean
Key Stats
- AC Milan have won their last four home matches against Fiorentina in all competitions.
- AC Milan have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six matches in Serie A.
- Fiorentina have won their last three games across all competitions.
- Fiorentina will visit San Siro with more points on board than AC Milan for the first time since December 2017.
Player to Watch
Moise Kean
Kean could make his 200th appearance across the top five leagues this Saturday, and he will be eager to complete his 20th goal involvement of the Serie A campaign. The striker has 16 goals and three assists to his name this season, and Raffale Palladino will want to see him end the campaign with even higher numbers.
Kean has been important for Fiorentina for the whole season, as his match-winning goal against Atalanta keeps him in a good vein of form. The Italian international has some key strikes against the big Serie A teams, and he will be eager to add to that tally against Milan.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-2 Fiorentina
AC Milan might be playing at home, but their inconsistent form throughout the season does not guarantee they will win against Fiorentina. Sergio Conceicao’s men are under tremendous pressure to get back into a relevant place in the top-four race, and while they are seemingly taking on a steep task, the pressure might go against them when facing a formidable team like Fiorentina.
Fiorentina will be eager to continue their stellar form in Serie A of late that has seen them defeat Juventus and Atalanta in back-to-back games. They will come into San Siro as the favourites to land all three points, and Moise Kean will be instrumental in doing so on Saturday. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Raffale Palladino and his charges.