After losing out on potential Supercoppa glory, Serie A action returns to the San Siro as Milan welcome Hellas Verona in a bid to end the year at the top spot on the table.
Milan had to settle for a 2-2 draw in their previous league fixture against Sassuolo, where Davide Bartesaghi shone with his brace, but strikes from Ismael Kone and Armand Lauriente helped the visitors salvage a point. Massimiliano Allegri has watered down talks of a title charge numerous times this season, but the Rossoneri are
just a point behind leaders Inter on the table.
Allegri had a quick chance to deliver a piece of silverware in the Supercoppa Italiana to Milan fans following his return to the club as manager. The Diavolo looked out of sorts in the semi-final encounter versus Napoli as strikes from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund sealed an early departure for Milan from Saudi Arabia.
Milan cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season, especially to a relegation-fighting side, as teams like Napoli, Roma and Juventus remain right on their heels, separated by a point from each other in the top five. The Rossoneri last suffered a loss in this clash was back in 2017, when Verona outclassed them 3-0 at the Bentegodi, but history is on the hosts’ side this weekend to comfortably get the victory.
Meanwhile, Hellas Verona aim to pull off a major upset in this match as they arrive in Milan in an upbeat mood after securing back-to-back wins. Despite manager Paolo Zanetti’s dismal record against tomorrow’s hosts, The Mastiffs will wear the recent victories over Atalanta and Fiorentina proudly on their backs when they take on the San Siro faithful.
Verona were heading for a draw in their last match against The Viola until Gift Orban’s added-time strike helped them grab three points, sending them to 18th place in the league standings, just two points away from safety. Zanetti knows that Milan has slipped against weeker opposition this team, as was seen against Cremonese, Pisa and Parma, and tomorrow poses a prime chance for him to get his side out of the dropzone.
Results from their last five matches across all competitions
Milan:
L D W L W
Verona:
W W L L D
Team News
Rafael Leao will miss the match for Milan after picking up an injury in the 3-2 victory over Torino. Allegri confirmed that new signing Niclas Fullkrug will join the squad from the Cagliari match.
Christian Pulisic is expected to continue his top form up front.
As for Verona, Tomas Suslov will miss due to injury. Martin Frese misses as he will have to serve a suspension.
Nicolas Valentini could get the nod to start as Rafik Belghali is away on AFCON duty.
Predicted XIs
Milan (3-4-1-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Wintr, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot; Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Pulisic.
Verona (3-5-2): Montipo; Nunez, Nelsson, Bella; Valentini, Niasse, Gagliardini, Bernede, Al Musrati; Orban, Mosquera.
