Stadio Luigi Ferraris is the venue as newly-promoted Genoa and title-bidding Milan face off against each other in Saturday’s exciting Serie A meeting. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Following a 4-1 statement win over Roma in their last home outing, Alberto Gilardino’s Genoa side was minutes away from posting back-to-back Serie A victories for the first time in February 2021. However, Alan Matturro’s injury-time own goal inflicted a late heartbreak on Genoa at Udinese last weekend, condemning them to a 2-2 draw.
Though incredible scenes at Dacia Arena left Gilardino deflated, there’s hardly a reason for pessimism in the Genoa camp. Not only did Rossoblu humiliate Roma in their last home outing, but they held reigning Scudetto holders Napoli to a dramatic 2-2 draw earlier in the season. Whether they can take another big scalp remains to be seen.
Visiting Milan won’t be in a forgiving mood after yet another European disappointment. An array of wasted opportunities, headlined by Olivier Giroud’s unfathomable miss toward the end of the first half, saw Stefano Pioli’s side share the spoils with Borussia Dortmund in a dull 0-0 Champions League draw on Wednesday.
Milan drew against Newcastle United in a similar fashion in their curtain-raising Group F fixture, casting doubt on their progression hopes. However, a hat-trick of Serie A victories sandwiched in between means Rossoneri should take the Luigi Ferraris field in high spirits, looking to preserve their place at the summit alongside arch-rivals Inter.
Pioli’s team pulled off a significant 2-0 home triumph over Lazio last weekend to remain toe-to-toe with Inter, with goal difference alone separating the two Milan heavyweights at the beginning of this matchday.
Match Preview
Genoa
Despite blowing hot and cold across their three Serie A home games this season (W1, D1, L1), Luigi Ferraris has been a venue of entertainment so far. Each of those three fixtures featured over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, increasing the likelihood of a goal-glutted contest, which has recently been the case in this match-up.
The last three top-flight encounters between Genoa and Milan in Liguria have contained at least three goals. Unfortunately for the Griffins, they’ve been on the receiving end of those action-packed contests twice, with the exception of a 2-2 stalemate in December 2020. Gilardino’s best hope of avoiding another poor result is to patch up his leaky backline.
However, after conceding multiple goals in three of their four competitive home outings this term, the hosts don’t look like a side capable of handling Milan’s star-studded frontline.
Player to Watch: Albert Gudmundsson
The 26-year-old winger stole the show at Dacia Arena last weekend with a first-half brace, taking his seasonal tally to three Serie A goals. His lightning-fast cut inside also provided the opener in Genoa’s humbling of Roma.
Milan
Profligacy in front of goal was the visitors’ main problem at Signal Iduna Park in midweek Champions League action. Pioli will hope Milan can keep their composure on Saturday and maintain their free-scoring form at the start of the new Serie A campaign. Not only have they scored in all seven league games thus far, but five of those matches saw them bag multiple goals.
Moreover, Fikayo Tomori’s return to the fold in the wake of a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Inter in mid-September has turned Milan into a formidable defensive force. They have since conceded just once in five games across all competitions, fending off the likes of Newcastle, Dortmund, and Lazio along the way.
But there’s no room for complacency, even though they’ve racked up three clean sheets on their last five Serie A visits to Genoa.
Player to Watch: Rafael Leao
His brace of second-half assists made all the difference against Lazio, while he’s been on the scoresheet in back-to-back appearances against Genoa. It takes no rocket science to assume Leao could run the show at Luigi Ferraris.
Team News
Genoa cannot call upon Kevin Strootman, Caleb Ekuban, and Milan Badelj for this showdown. Mateo Retegui has struggled with a light injury setback but should be in contention. The same goes for Junior Messias, who would love to face his parent club.
As for Milan, Ismael Bennacer, Mattia Caldara, Rade Krunic, and Pierre Kalulu are still in the treatment room. It’s uncertain whether Pioli would risk Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s swift return after the Englishman skipped the midweek trip to Dortmund with a muscle injury.
Genoa vs Milan Potential Lineups
Genoa (3-5-1-1): Josep Martinez; Radu Dragusin, Mattia Bani, Johan Vasquez; Koni De Winter, Morten Thorsby, Morten Frendrup, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Matturro; Albert Gudmundsson; Mario Retegui.
Milan (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Alessandro Florenzi, Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Yunus Musah, Yacine Adli, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Noah Okafor, Rafael Leao.
Genoa vs Milan Prediction
Based on all the abovementioned stats, a high-scoring contest looks like an educated guess. Despite showing plenty of promise in the early season, especially attacking-wise, Genoa will probably have to search for points elsewhere.
Prediction: Milan Win
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |