Thriving in Europe but stuttering in Serie A, AC Milan will aim to revive an ailing domestic campaign when they host Parma on Sunday.
The Rossoneri recorded their fifth straight Champions League win in midweek, but they only sit eighth in the Italian top flight; meanwhile, their visitors arrive at San Siro amid a season-long fight for survival.
Match preview
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Having started with two losses, Milan have since made light of their league woes to storm up the Champions League standings thanks to a superb haul of 15 points from a possible 15.
Wednesday's win over Girona took them back into the top eight, with Rafael Leao's emphatic close-range finish giving the Rossoneri a lead they would never relinquish - they also struck the woodwork twice at San Siro.
With a playoff place already locked down, Milan are therefore in charge of their own destiny heading towards a final-day contest with Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian capital next week.
However, a tame 2-0 defeat to Juventus in their most recent Serie A match means that they have fewer than 35 points after 20 league games for the first time in five seasons - on that occasion, they finished sixth.
Although new coach Sergio Conceicao made an immediate impact by delivering the Supercoppa Italiana within days of his mid-term appointment, there is still plenty of catching up to do over the months ahead.
Milan have drawn four of their last five home games in Serie A, including each of the last three, leaving them as close to the bottom half as the top four.
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Although they have won just one of their last 20 away games against Sunday's hosts, suffering 15 defeats in the process, Parma are aiming to do the double over Milan this weekend.
After a shock 2-1 win at Stadio Tardini in August, the Emilian side struggled to pick up more points on their latest return to Serie A, but taking five from their last four outings has kept their heads above water.
Fabio Pecchia's men have lost only one of their last four matches - posting the same points tally as Milan over that period - following last week's 1-1 draw with fellow promoted club Venezia.
A second-half spot kick converted by Hernani was enough to avoid a damaging home defeat, so the Gialloblu are still hovering just above Serie A's bottom three, amid a tightly-packed bottom half of the table.
Taking anything home from San Siro would be a bonus, but upcoming clashes with relegation rivals Lecce and Cagliari could prove crucial in Parma's quest for survival.
Team News
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As Milan face a significant double-header next week, when they will try to wrap up a last-16 spot in the Champions League before tackling Inter in the Derby della Madonnina, Sergio Conceicao may consider some changes to his lineup on Sunday.
The Rossoneri's boss will be able to count on Christian Pulisic, who returned from injury to make a cameo appearance against Girona, while Samuel Chukwueze could be available for the first time since December; Fikayo Tomori is back after serving a one-match UEFA ban.
However, the hosts are without Emerson Royal, Malick Thiaw and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, plus long-term absentee Alessandro Florenzi.
Parma, meanwhile, have a lengthy absence list once again: defensive trio Botond Balogh, Yordan Osorio and Alessandro Circati are all sidelined, in addition to Adrian Bernabe, Mateusz Kowalski and Gabriel Charpentier.
Fabio Pecchia has been able to bolster his squad by signing Alessandro Vogliacco, who started in central defence versus Venezia, while forwards Jacob Ondrejka and Milan Djuric both joined this week - the latter could even displace Ange-Yoan Bonny up front.
Sure to start in the final third, Dennis Man has recorded a club-high seven Serie A goal involvements this season. Since signing in 2021, the Romania international has registered the most goals (28) and most assists (13) for Parma across all competitions.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata
Parma possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Del Prato, Valenti, Vogliacco, Valeri; Keita, Sohm; Man, Hernani, Mihaila; Bonny
We say: AC Milan 3-1 Parma
It may not be straightforward, but Milan should overcome a flawed Parma side that ships plenty of goals - particularly on the road.
The Rossoneri will have most of their main men available, and such firepower should see them claim three much-needed points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
