AC Milan host Venezia on Wednesday evening at the San Siro. This will be the first time in over 7,000 days the two teams meet in the top flight. The Rossoneri are looking to return to winning ways after securing three points in each of their first three matches. Since then, however, they lost in the Champions League to Liverpool and drew last time out against Juventus. AC Milan v Venezia is an ideal game for the club to bounce back.
Despite the last two results, there is absolutely no doom and gloom in Italy’s fashion capital. Milan put out a valiant effort in their first Champions League match in seven years, giving the 2019 champions a thriller of a match. Securing a late draw in an away match at Juventus was far more positive than negative as well. With that being said, Milan must get all three points in matches versus teams such as Venezia if they’re serious about contending for the Scudetto.
AC Milan v Venezia: Preview
Standings and Form
Milan currently sit third in the Serie A table, behind Napoli and Inter Milan. Napoli look revitalised with four wins out of four matches and a goal difference of +8. Inter are tied with Milan in points, but have a higher goal difference by five goals.
So far, Milan have three victories and one draw. They won 1-0 against Sampdoria, 4-1 against Cagliari and 2-0 against Lazio, before drawing 1-1 with Juventus. Milan have looked nothing short of excellent, which is impressive considering top players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Olivier Giroud, Franck Kessie, and Davide Calabria have already missed matches.
Venezia, on the other hand, sit in 17th place. They have one victory and three draws in four matches. Their victory came over Empoli, but losses have come from Napoli, Udinese, and Spezia. In short, the young and inexperienced Venezia squad has a long way to go to avoid relegation.
Milan are looking to regain winning form this week before matching up with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week.
AC Milan Expected Line-Up
Mike Maignan, of course, will start in goal. He’s been nothing short of excellent since arriving in Milan.
Two usual players should start in the defence – Theo Hernandez and Fikayo Tomori. Alessio Romagnoli will start in the centre alongside Tomori after Simon Kjaer picked up a slight injury at Juventus.
Expect the midfield double pivot to feature Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer. Tonali is quickly rising amongst the ranks in Milan’s midfield with his excellent form. Kessie struggled for Juventus, and is clearly still in the recovery phase from his previous injury. Bennacer should step in for the Ivorian.
The three attackers behind the lone striker will also feature the usual starters in Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, and Rafael Leao. Expect to see the trio continue to develop their chemistry.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahimovic and Giroud, it’s likely Ante Rebic starts as the lone striker. Rebic is also in hot form with two assists versus Lazio, a goal versus Liverpool, and a goal versus Juventus. Milan must emphasize keeping Rebic in form knowing Ibrahimovic’s past injury history.
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