AC Milan need to get back to winning ways tomorrow evening as they will take on Fiorentina at San Siro. With Napoli currently eleven points ahead, the pressure is on the Rossoneri.
The 0-0 draw against Cremenoese left a very bitter taste and Stefano Pioli’s men will have to redeem themselves tomorrow. Not just for a confidence boost, but also because the gap up to Napoli is already quite big.
Speaking at the press conference, Pioli stressed that Milan need to focus on themselves and play the game at their usual level. It sounds simple, but the reality is their grit was missing against Cremonese.
Game date: Sunday, 13 November
Kick-off time: 18:00 (CET)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Simone Sozza (VAR: Fabbri)
Team news
Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud both missed out against Cremonese due to suspension but are now back at Pioli’s disposal. They will play from the first minute and given their importance in the attacking phase, it’s a huge boost for Milan.
One more player has been added to the injury list, though, and that is Junior Messias. The Brazilian was one of the few players that actually managed to create some chances last time out, but he sustained a muscle injury in training yesterday.
Pioli will revert to his usual starting XI for this one since there’s no point in giving anyone rest, with it being the last game before the World Cup break. Simon Kjaer will thus get the chance in the heart of the defence alongside Fikayo Tomori. Update: Thiaw could start instead of Kjaer tomorrow, as per Sky.
Ismael Bennacer and Sandro Tonali will partner up in the middle, as you would expect, and Messias’ injury means Brahim Diaz will be the starting right-winger. Rade Krunic is ahead of Charles De Ketelaere for the No.10 role, having done so well there against Salzburg.
De Ketelaere will most likely get the chance off the bench and a good performance could do him a lot of good. Hopefully, he will come back even stronger from the World Cup, where he perhaps will be able to regain some confidence.
Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo; Bennacer, Tonali; Diaz, Krunic, Leao; Giroud.
The opponents
It has been a mixed bag from Fiorentina thus far this season. They got just one win in their first six games and they have already registered four consecutive games winless twice. On the other hand, they are coming off three consecutive wins.
Vincenzo Italiano, the manager of Fiorentina, will certainly be tested tomorrow as his players need to show that they can compete against the top teams in the league. Spezia, Sampdoria and Salernitana were the last three opponents, perhaps making the winning streak a little less impressive.
The manager will be without the likes of Riccardo Sottil, Gaetano Castrovilli, Marco Benassi and Nico Gonzalez. He will still be able to field a very strong starting XI, though, with former Milan man Jack Bonaventura expected to start.
Fiorentina use the same formation as Milan and their front four will consist of Jonathan Ikone, Jack Bonaventura, Christian Kouame and Luka Jovic. That’s an attack that probably promises more than 10th place in the standings.
Probable Fiorentina XI (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi; Amrabat, Mandragora; Ikone, Bonaventura, Kouame; Jovic.
Head to head
Taking a look at the stats, it’s clear that Milan have a slight advantage when it comes to facing Fiorentina, especially at home. However, we can also see that Fiorentina have caused the Rossoneri some trouble in recent time.
The last time these two faced each other is a good example of that, even if Milan ended up on the winning side. Milan squandered a tremendous amount of good chances but eventually took the lead after the goalkeeper made a mistake, with Rafael Leao making the most of it.
Mike Maignan was also forced to a really good save just a few minutes before, saving Cabral’s header from point-blank range. In short, it was a frustrating clash for the Rossoneri even if they won.
Match facts…
➤ Milan won 1-0 in their last Serie A meeting with Fiorentina and could keep successive clean sheets against them for the first time since 2016 (2-0 under Mihajlovic and 0-0 under Montella).
➤ Fiorentina have lost only one of their last 11 Serie A matches against Milan in the first half of the season (0-2 in 2020) – they have had six wins (including a 4-3 victory last season) and four draws.
➤ Milan and Fiorentina have drawn only one of their last 14 Serie A meetings at the Meazza (1-1 with goals from de Jong and Ilicic in October 2014). Such games have ended in eight wins for the Rossoneri and five for the Viola.
➤ Milan have averaged 2.3 goals per game in their last 10 Serie A home games, winning nine matches in the process (defeat v Napoli in the other one) – while they have kept a clean sheet in 50% of their matches during this period.
➤ Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last three Serie A away games and could make it four in a row for the first time under Vincenzo Italiano. After their 2-0 win over Sampdoria, the Viola could keep a clean sheet in successive away matches in the competition for the first time since May 2021.
➤ Stefano Pioli oversaw 69 Serie A games as the manager of Fiorentina between 2017 and 2019 (W24 D24 L21).
➤ Rafael Leão has scored two goals in three Serie A matches against Fiorentina, with both coming at the Meazza – one of them was his very first in the competition, on September 29th, 2019.
➤ Olivier Giroud has scored four goals in his last four appearances for AC Milan in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League. AC Milan have won 17 of their 18 matches in which the Frenchman has found the net in all competitions (only losing against Napoli in September 2022).
➤ Riccardo Saponara made his Serie A debut for AC Milan in 2013/14. He played eight league matches for the Rossoneri – while AC Milan are the side which he has scored the most Serie A goals against (four, at least twice as against any other).
➤ Giacomo Bonaventura scored 30 goals in 155 Serie A matches for AC Milan between 2014 and 2020. Among the opponents which he has never been involved in a goal against in the Italian top-flight, they are the side which he played the most minutes against in the competition (618).
Ones to watch
Brahim Diaz has somewhat faded again after what was a really good, but short, period of great performances. The Spaniard managed to take out two-three players against Cremonese with his skills but lacked the final touch, which he will need tomorrow.
His opposite man, Rafael Leao, will also want to put in a good performance after a very bleak appearance off the bench against Cremonese. He has the ability to decide the game himself and Milan will need him at his best.
As for Fiorentina, we all know how smart Jack Bonaventura can be as a player. He has a great vision of the game and it will be important for Milan to not give him loads of space on the edge of the box, as he also has a good shot.
Cristiano Biraghi will have to be closed down in the defensive phase as well, as he can send in great crosses. Luka Jovic will be lurking in the box to get on the end of them and Pierre Kalulu will have to do a good job of shutting the left-back down.
Prediction
It will be a tough game for Milan but the feeling is that they will respond well, just like we saw against Salzburg after the loss to Torino. One final push is needed and with both Theo and Giroud back, this will be a lot easier.
Milan 2-0 Fiorentina
