AC Milan will make the two-hour journey to the Stadio MarcAntonio Bentegodi to face Hellas Verona, hoping for a big three points.
One week ago it was all doom and gloom as Milan had just lost 3-0 to Udinese at home, with their Scudetto hopes finally ended and second place surrendered to Napoli. Not only that, but even a Champions League spot was thrust into doubt, with the gap five points to fifth place.
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Fast-forward to today, and there is a big opportunity for the Rossoneri. Como lost to Sassuolo, Napoli lost to Lazio and Roma were held to a draw by Atalanta, meaning that Milan (and potentially Juventus, who face Bologna tonight) could be the big winners of the round in the top four race.
Hellas Verona vs. AC Milan: The five key battles
Milan face a Verona side that are in dire straits. They have three wins in 32 league games and the most losses in the division with 20. They have scored just 23 goals, which is joint for the second-lowest, and have let in 55 with only Pisa having conceded more.
So, if the attack is to get firing, this feels like a game where positive signs are needed. Rafael Leão has never scored at the Bentegodi against Hellas Verona in the top-flight, and Allegri will hope that the ‘needed’ jeers on Saturday (in his words) when he came off can be transformed into positive energy to get going again.
Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic is hoping to come full circle. His last Serie A goal was against the Gialloblu on 28th December and since then he has gone 14 consecutive appearances in the competition without scoring. This is his longest goal drought in Serie A and his longest overall since 16 consecutive matches with Chelsea in the Premier League between October 2022 and May 2023.
For today’s hosts, they will hope that the Danish duo of Victor Nelsson and Martin Frese can keep the Milan front two quiet. They are the centre-backs with comfortably the most starts in the league for Verona, and they will operate either side of Andrias Edmundsson. Given how Leao and Pulisic will drift wider towards the flanks, Nelsson and Frese have a crucial role to play.
The main threat at the other end for the home side is Gift Orban. The striker has seven goals to his name in Serie A, with the next best being Giovane on three, who headed to Napoli in the January window. The Nigerian has not scored since early March and will look to exploit any space that Milan leave in transition.
This is where Fikayo Tomori has a very important double role for Milan. First and foremost the Englishman must do his bit defensively, given that Allegri is expected to renew his trust in him as the right-sided centre-back. While keeping Orban and co. quiet, we also know that Tomori can be crucial in build-up when he detaches to push around and overlap.
Speaking of the right side, it is a big chance for Zachary Athekame too, if the reports are correct and he gets the nod. The Swiss has shown some impressive glimpses in his debut campaign in red and black, particularly with his darting runs and his crossing. With Alexis Saelemaekers having a bit of a dip in form, Max clearly believes he can offer a bit more.
His opponent on that flank will be Rafik Belghali, the 23-year-old Algerian who has stood out as one of the better performers in a team that has struggled a lot. Balghali has a couple of goals in Serie A and can be a real problem going forward with his speed and dribbling, so Athekame will have to be careful not to leave Tomori exposed.
Finally, there will be a battle between two veterans in the midfield as Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro takes on Adrien Rabiot. The 33-year-old Ivorian and the 31-year-old Frenchman are both crucial to the way their teams play, operating as the box-to-box raiders in a three-man midfield, though the former has one goal to his name.
Rabiot was far from his best in the loss to Udinese but generally speaking has been a talisman for Milan, someone that Allegri cannot do without. This feels like a game where his runs into dangerous areas and his height can cause issues against what will presumably be a back five low block out of possession.
🆚 Will #ACMilan bounce back with a win against Verona on Sunday?
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— SempreMilanTV (@SempreMilanTV) April 18, 2026
