AC Milan take on Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Wednesday evening. This is a massive fixture for Milan, not because of the opponent, but because Stefano Pioli’s side have now lost two Serie A matches in a row. They started out the season undefeated for 12 matches, but have slipped up recently. With that being said, Milan remains in second place in the Serie A table, but Inter Milan are only one point behind the Rossoneri in third.
AC Milan Face Genoa Looking to Avoid Third Straight Serie A Defeat
Storylines
The main storyline is Milan reeling off of two losses. In those two losses, Milan conceded seven goals. Star centre-back Fikayo Tomori was out, which left a hole in the defence, but seven goals is still far too much. The Englishman returns against Genoa.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan returned in the last fixture at home against Sassuolo. Obviously, that didn’t go as planned, as Milan fell 3-1. He’ll look for a major bounce-back performance.
The attack was also very stagnant in the last fixture. It’s hard to imagine a player like Zlatan Ibrahimovic allowing that to happen once again. This fixture could very well contain plenty of fireworks for Milan. The Rossoneri must build up confidence in this match and the next against Salernitana, before facing Liverpool in the final Champions League matchday.
The last storyline is more of a heartwarming one. Legendary Ukranian and Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko is now the manager of Genoa, so he faces up against his former squad where he had the highest of all career heights.
Predicted Line-Up for AC Milan
Maignan will once again start in goal, looking to regain his form prior to his injury.
The defence will feature Theo Hernandez, Simon Kjaer, Tomori, and Pierre Kalulu. Tomori’s return is massive for the club. Davide Calabria remains injured and Kalulu is a solid replacement.
Expect to see Franck Kessie and Sandro Tonali in the midfield. Last match’s midfield of Ismael Bennacer and Tiémoué Bakayoko was quite dreadful, so they could be replaced.
The three players behind the striker will be Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz, and Alexis Saeleamaekers. The main player to watch is Diaz as he has yet to regain his early-season form after suffering an injury.
Ibrahimovic will start at striker and will be pivotal. Milan must make a statement in this match, and it all starts with what Ibrahimovic will do.
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