Published: 13 hours ago

AC Milan vs AC Monza: Preview and Prediction

AC Milan will host AC Monza in a Serie A clash at San Siro this weekend, and they will look to finish the season as strongly as possible.

This has been a disappointing season for them, and they are ninth in the league table. For a club of their stature, it is simply unacceptable, and they will hope to finish the season strongly and bounce back next year.

They are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats in all competitions. It remains to be seen whether they can get back to winning ways here. They were on a four-match winning run prior to the defeat against Bologna and Roma. They have an impressive record against Monza with eight wins from the last 10 meetings against them. It remains to be seen whether they can come out on top here.

Meanwhile, the visitors are at the bottom of the league table with just three wins all season. They have lost five of the last six league matches, and they will be major underdogs here. They have been quite poor all season, and they are completely devoid of form and confidence. They are likely to crash to yet another defeat here.

Team News & Tactics

AC Milan

The home side will be without Warren Bondo (ankle), Theo Hernandez (thigh) and Samuel Chukwueze (groin) due to injuries. Pierre Kalulu and Santiago Gimenez are suspended. AC Milan are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mike Maignan in goal.

Emerson Royal and Kyle Walker will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Fikayo Tomori will start alongside Strahinja Pavlovic in central defence.

Youssouf Fofana will start alongside Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the central midfield. They will look to add defensive cover, control and physicality to the side.

Finally, Tammy Abraham will lead the line for AC Milan vs AS Roma, with Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on either side of him.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Royal, Tomori, Pavlovic, Walker; Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Abraham, Leao

Monza

Pedro Pereira is suspended for the visitors. Silvere Ganvoula, Roberto Gagliardini, and Omari Forson are out with knocks. Armando Izzo has a thigh injury, Danilo D’Ambrosio has an ankle injury, and Matteo Pessina has a thigh injury. 

Monza will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Semuel Pizzignacco in goal. In the back three, Andrea Carboni will start alongside Arvid Brorsson and Tomas Palacios.

Samuele Birindelli and Georgios Kyiakopoulos will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to protect the back three and hit AC Milan on the break.

Kevin Zeroli, Alessandro Bianco and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro will start in the central midfield, and they will look to add control, composure, and defensive cover to the side.

Gianluca Caprari and Keita Balde will lead the line for the away side.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Pizzignacco; Carboni, Brorsson, Palacios; Birindelli, Zeroli, Bianco, Akpro, Kyriakopoulos; Caprari, Balde

Key Stats

  • AC Milan have scored at least 3 goals in their last 4 home matches against Monza in all competitions.
  • AC Milan have won 8 of their last 10 matches against Monza in all competitions.
  • 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
  • Monza have lost 5 of the last 6 matches in the league.

Player to Watch

Christian Pulisic

The United States International has been in fine form for AC Milan, and he is our key player to watch out for. He could trouble the Monza defence with his creativity and goal-scoring ability. The visitors are quite vulnerable at the back, and they will struggle to contain the AC Milan attacker. He could make a defining impact in the final third, and he will look to help his side grind out all three points.

Prediction

AC Milan 2-1 Monza

The home side are undoubtedly the favourites here, and they should be able to grind out all three points. They will be desperate to bounce back from the last two defeats, and this is a golden opportunity for them. They are up against the worst team in the division, and they have an impressive record against Monza as well. The visitors will look to put up a fight and salvage some pride here, but Milan have the quality in the attack to edge this contest. A narrow victory for the home team is on the cards.

Ï