Having struggled for form throughout the first-half of the season, Milan have since turned their fortunes around having lost just one game in all competitions since New Year. Stefano Pioli succeeded Marco Giampaolo as manager a day after his sacking back in October, overseeing 20 games so far and winning 9 of them.
Milan though look a much more solid outfit under Pioli, and will be looking at this game against Genoa as a banker in their push for a top-six spot. Napoli currently occupy the sixth and final European qualification spot in Serie A but Milan could leapfrog them with a win, providing that Napoli slip up in their Saturday fixture at home to Torino.
Having started 2020 in fine form Milan have since slowed down a touch. Everything was going smoothly and Pioli was starting to look as though he was really getting the best out of his new side up until the Milan Derby earlier in the month. Inter claimed a 4-2 victory and Milan have since looked a bit sluggish.
It’s been a tough run of game in fairness though, facing Juventus in the Coppa Italia straight after the Inter game, then hosting and beating Torino before picking up a point in Florence last time out. Points might’ve slowed down but Milan are still picking them up. They should be raring to go against lower opposition in Genoa, and there could be plenty of goals to come.
That’s something that Milan have lacked this year. Goals have been more regular under Pioli and fans are getting the feeling that they’re due a ‘big win’. That could well come against 18th-place Genoa who’ve conceded 46 goals in 25 Serie A games this season, sitting a point from safety. They’ll be gunning for a big performance on Sunday, and take a decent bit of form to San Siro.
A narrow 3-2 loss at home to Lazio last time out scuppered Genoa’s two-game winning run and four game unbeaten streak. They looked to be climbing out of the bottom-three and fought bravely against Lazio, so will have high hopes heading to Milan at the weekend. Genoa’s key player this weekend will be Goran Pandev – the 36-year-old is still delivering the goods for Genoa and with six goals this season, the former Inter man will be a threat to Milan.
For the home side though, they’ll be hoping that Ante Rebic can continue his scoring form. He’s scored in the last four games for Milan and is fast becoming an important player for his side. Rebic may well be learning from the returning Zlatan Ibrahimovich, who joined Milan last month and has since scored two goals in seven Serie A appearances, with Milan only losing once since his return to Italy.
Milan are making clear progression under Pioli, and he’s setting them up for a strong finish to the second-half of the season. A top-six finish should be their goal and if that’s to be achieved, they need to be winning these games against the lower-ranked teams.