Sunday’s Serie A action rounds off at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi as bottom-half strugglers Hellas Verona take on defending champions Milan. Since neither side would benefit much from a draw, it’s reasonable to expect each to go all-out in search of all three points, albeit for different reasons.
A meager five points from nine Serie A matches were not enough to save Gabriele Cioffi from being sacked early in the season. Following a decent interim stint at Udinese last season, Cioffi replaced Igor Tudor at the helm of Verona, but he didn’t last long.
Four consecutive league defeats, all of which saw the Gialloblu concede at least twice, including last weekend’s 2-1 loss at Salernitana, sealed Cioffi’s fate. Instead of going on a hunt for a new permanent manager, Verona promoted Salvatore Bocchetti as their new chief of staff earlier this week.
It will be up to the inexperienced coach to steer Verona out of trouble, but he couldn’t have asked for a sterner test on his touchline debut. Seeking vengeance following an underwhelming 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea in midweek Champions League action, Milan will take the Bentegodi pitch keen to maintain their eye-catching domestic form.
Since Serie A returned to action on the back of September’s international break, Stefano Pioli’s men have racked up back-to-back league victories via a two-goal margin. That run includes a dramatic 3-1 win at Empoli on their most recent top-flight travel, which helped them stay unbeaten in all four Serie A away games this season (W2, D2).
Only three points adrift of table-topping Napoli, Milan are still viable candidates to wrap up the Scudetto this season. But for starters, they will have to shrug off stress following another European upset and focus on winning a fourth successive league match-up against Verona.
Match Preview
Hellas Verona
Cioffi’s woeful managerial tenure marked Verona’s worst nine-match start in Serie A since 2015/16. Ominously for the home support, the last time they amassed five points from the opening nine top-flight games, they suffered relegation to Serie B. That highlights the size of the task on Bocchetti’s hands.
Bocchetti’s first assignment will be to arrest his side’s disastrous four-game losing Serie A streak. Making it five defeats in a row for the first time since May 2018 would summon devils from the past. The last time Verona experienced such a tormenting losing run, they were relegated at the end of the season.
Winless in six of their last seven Serie A outings (D1, L5), Verona may have to wait for a better opportunity to capture all-important points. Milan’s upcoming visit to the Bentegodi will stir painful memories in the Gialloblu camp, considering they’ve lost their last three home league duels against the reigning champions.
Milan
Last weekend’s morale-boosting 2-0 home triumph over arch-rivals Juventus helped Milan stay within touching distance of Napoli, keeping their hopes of winning consecutive Serie A titles for the first time in the 21st century alive. Looking at Napoli’s sublime form, any slip-up could cost the Rossoneri dearly, hence Pioli will demand concentration and commitment from his men.
There’s plenty Milan can hold onto ahead of this trip. They remain the only Serie A side yet to lose a single league match on the road in 2022 (W9, D4). In fact, the visitors haven’t lost a single top-flight fixture outside the San Siro since the turn of the 2021/22 season, highlighting their impressive form away from home.
Pioli has a chance to accomplish an unprecedented milestone at the Bentegodi. A victory at Verona would see Milan register at least eight wins in the opening ten Serie A outings in three consecutive seasons for the first time in club history. Pioli, who was in the dugout on the last two instances, could therefore enter the Rossoneri folklore on Sunday.
Hellas Verona vs Milan Potential Line-ups
Hellas Verona (3-4-2-1): Lorenzo Montipo; Isak Hien, Koray Gunter, Juan David Cabal; Davide Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Miguel Veloso, Josh Doig; Hrustic, Simone Verdi; Thomas Henry.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Ciprian Tatarusanu; Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.