Having recently slipped from top spot to third place in Serie A, AC Milan seek a return to winning ways on Saturday evening, when they welcome Udinese to San Siro.
While Milan had lost back-to-back games before playing out a thrilling draw with Napoli last weekend, their visitors are yet to post a league victory this season and also exited the Coppa Italia in midweek.
Match preview
© Reuters
In the context of two dispiriting defeats during the previous week, Milan's 2-2 draw with Napoli may feel like a case of two points dropped for the second-city side, after Olivier Giroud's first-half brace had put them in control at Stadio Maradona last Sunday.
Stefano Pioli saw his absence-hit team depleted again as Pierre Kalulu departed with an injury, to be replaced by the untested Marco Pellegrino, and Napoli stormed back in the second half to snatch a point from an absorbing encounter between the last two Scudetto winners.
The Rossoneri had travelled south on the back of losses to Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain: following a 3-0 reverse at Parc des Princes last month they have failed to score in their last five European matches and sit rock-bottom of Group F, which also features Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United.
In desperate need of three points from next week's reverse fixture against PSG, last season's Champions League semi-finalists must first target their first league win for nearly a month.
Having won six of their last seven Serie A home games - the sole loss coming against potential title rivals Juve - Milan will expect to steady the ship with victory over a struggling side they have tended to dominate in the past.
While injuries continue to take their toll on Pioli's squad, the Rossoneri have gone unbeaten through 15 of their last 16 league meetings with Udinese at San Siro - and their visitors have not won anywhere since August.
© Reuters
A 3-1 success earlier this year may have given Udinese their first Serie A win over Milan in seven attempts, but repeating that feat seems a tall order for the Fruili side this weekend.
Although Gabriele Cioffi recently returned to the club following Andrea Sottil's dismissal, the Bianconeri have been unable to turn things around under new management, and after a 1-1 draw at Monza last week they still await their first league victory of the 2023-24 campaign.
With that result, Udinese became only the third team to draw at least seven of their first 10 Serie A fixtures this century, and before arriving in Milan on Saturday they have drawn four from five on the road this season.
Having ended last term with five straight away defeats, such a run actually represents something of an improvement, but Cioffi's side sit 17th in the Serie A standings and saw their woes deepened on Wednesday, when they were dumped out of the cup on home turf.
Missing out on a last-16 tie with Milan, the Fruilani's second string led against Cagliari thanks to a goal from teenage defender Axel Guessand; however, they were pegged back later on and then conceded again at the end of extra time. Their last win therefore remains a 4-1 Coppa Italia defeat of Serie B side Catanzaro nearly three months ago.
Team News
© Reuters
Although Pierre Kalulu may be sidelined until 2024 by a thigh injury sustained in Naples last week, Malick Thiaw returns from suspension following his costly red card against Juventus and should join his regular partner at the heart of Milan's defence.
Since Thiaw made his Serie A debut last October, the Rossoneri have averaged 2.3 points and conceded 0.7 goals per game with the German centre-back and Tomori paired together in their starting XI. That changes to 1.3 points and 1.8 goals without at least one of the two playing.
Fellow defender Simon Kjaer also hopes to be available, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Samu Chukwueze, Marco Sportiello and long-term absentee Ismael Bennacer all remain resident in the treatment room at Milanello.
Due to a minor muscular problem, Christian Pulisic may be rested, with one eye on a crucial game at home to PSG next Tuesday; therefore, Luka Romero or Noah Okafor could come into Stefano Pioli's thinking. Either would support Olivier Giroud up front, and since the start of 2023, no player has scored more headed goals than the French forward across Europe's top five leagues (seven, level with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane).
After making sweeping changes for the Coppa Italia loss to Cagliari, Udinese boss Gabriele Cioffi is set to name his strongest available side on Saturday evening. Like Pioli, though, his resources remain restricted by absences: Gerard Deulofeu, Brenner, Kingsley Ehizibue, Enzo Ebosse and Thomas Kristensen are all unavailable.
First-team regulars Jaka Bijol, Nehuen Perez and Roberto Pereyra should return, alongside Serbia midfielder Lazar Samardzic, who came close to joining Inter in the summer and is again being linked with a move up the Calcio food-chain during the upcoming transfer window.
Up front, Lorenzo Lucca has scored two goals in his last four Serie A appearances, having failed to find the net in each of the previous six - his equaliser against Monza last week should earn the former Ajax loanee a start at San Siro.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Musah, Krunic, Reijnders; Romero, Giroud, Leao
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Silvestri; Perez, Bijol, Kabasele; Ebosele, Samardzic, Walace, Lovric, Zemura; Pereyra; Lucca
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Udinese
They may have lost to Inter, Juventus and PSG this season, but Milan have been beaten just twice in their last 25 games against teams sitting inside Serie A's bottom four. Winning 18 times during that period shows that the Rossoneri rarely struggle against Italy's lesser lights, so an ailing Udinese side are bound for defeat.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
