Beset by chronic inconsistency, AC Milan will aim to stay on the coat-tails of Serie A's top six as they host mid-table Empoli on Saturday.
Milan's grim goalless draw with Juventus left them seventh in the standings, before victory in Bratislava boosted their Champions League campaign - and their visitors could pull level on points with a win at San Siro.
Match preview
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Posting their third straight Champions League success, Milan edged past Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday evening, with goals from Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Rafael Leao ultimately securing an unconvincing 3-2 victory.
Having previously recovered from a slow start by beating Club Brugge and reigning champions Real Madrid, the Rossoneri therefore moved five points clear of the elimination zone and are occupying a playoff place with three league-phase games to go.
However, on the domestic front, Paulo Fonseca's side have accrued a modest total of 19 points in Serie A, following last Saturday's dull 0-0 home draw with Juventus, in which they produced just one shot on target.
Just before the international break, they led twice in Cagliari but had to settle for one point from a six-goal thriller, and that is part of a wider picture of instability: Milan have alternated between conceding at least one goal and then keeping a clean sheet throughout their last 10 league matches.
Already, any hopes of silverware may be restricted to knockout competitions this season, as they must make up a 10-point deficit to first-placed Napoli, with five other contenders stacked up between.
Having failed to score in their last two Serie A games at San Siro, they could now go three without a home win for the first time since 2021 and three without scoring for the first time in seven years, so under-fire Fonseca cannot afford to slip up.
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While Empoli have lost six of their last seven league meetings with Milan - failing to find the net in five - all of the Azzurri's previous victories over the Rossoneri have come at San Siro: in 2003, 2007, and most recently in 2017.
At this advanced stage of the season, Empoli are surprisingly within three points of their illustrious counterparts - albeit having played an extra match - having proved particularly tough to beat.
They held Udinese to a 1-1 draw on Monday evening, when resurgent striker Pietro Pellegri scored his third goal in as many appearances, and have lost just three times across all competitions this season.
Sitting 10th in the table, Roberto D'Aversa's squad are continuing to exceed expectations, after scrapping their way to safety under Davide Nicola's management last spring.
The Tuscan club can also look forward to next week's Coppa Italia clash against local rivals Fiorentina, when a quarter-final place will be at stake, but first they must tackle the might of Milan at San Siro.
Team News
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Milan will have almost all of their squad available on Saturday evening, as only long-term absentees Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi join Luka Jovic on the sidelines.
Alvaro Morata returns to the fray after serving a UEFA suspension, and he will compete with teenage star Francesco Camarda and Tammy Abraham to claim the lone striker's role.
Morata is favourite, but Abraham was on target in midweek and has scored more Serie A goals against Empoli than any other opponent (four); the Roma loanee is now looking to score in consecutive league games for the first time since March 2022.
Meanwhile, ex-Milan forward Pietro Pellegri is sure to start for Empoli, as he enjoys a purple patch. The injury-plagued striker's tally of three goals from his last three matches is as many as he managed across the past two seasons with Torino.
The Azzurri's solid form comes despite a long absence list, and Roberto D'Aversa will still be missing several men this weekend: Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi, Saba Sazonov and Jacopo Fazzini are all unavailable, while Swiss midfielder Nicolas Haas recently suffered a serious knee injury.
Milan-owned pair Devis Vasquez and Lorenzo Colombo are both set to start against their parent club - in goal and up front respectively.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Anjorin, Henderson, Maleh, Pezzella; Colombo, Pellegri
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Empoli
While they are often vulnerable on the road, Milan tend to keep things tight at San Siro, where they will put an end Empoli's unbeaten run.
Paulo Fonseca's rotation policy may be contributing some uneven performances, but the Rossoneri should still have too much firepower for their Tuscan counterparts to handle.
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Jonathan O'Shea
