Defending Serie A champions Milan return to the Stadio San Siro to face Fiorentina in the final league showdown ahead of the World Cup break. One of the most exciting fixtures on this weekend’s Serie A schedule promises some fireworks.
Cremonese’s rock-solid defensive display on Tuesday left Milan’s Scudetto defense in tatters, as Stefano Pioli’s team could only manage an underwhelming scoreless draw in Cremona. Following Napoli’s 3-2 home triumph over Udinese on Saturday, the Rossoneri seem no longer relevant in the title race, yet the Champions League qualification spots are still up for grabs.
Back to San Siro, where they’ve won all but one of their seven league matches this season (L1), is a welcoming morale boost for Milan. With fifth-placed Inter only one point adrift at the start of this round, the reigning Serie A holders face the risk of heading into the break outside the coveted top four unless they bounce back against Fiorentina.
It won’t be a walk in the park for Milan, with Vincenzo Italiano’s side hitting a purple patch in the run-up to this encounter. Since a heartbreaking 4-3 home defeat at the hands of Inter in mid-October, La Viola have gone into overdrive, racking up an eye-catching three-match winning league streak to tuck themselves in mid-table comforts.
Second-half substitute Luka Jovic bagged a late winner to propel Fiorentina to a 2-1 home victory over Salernitana in midweek Serie A action, setting his team up nicely for this trip. But the visitors would be silly to let the ongoing upturn in form lead them to a false sense of security, with each of their last three league wins coming at the expense of sides starting this round in the bottom five.
Match Preview
Milan
Except for a 2-1 loss to Napoli on the eve of September’s international break, Milan have run riot at San Siro this season, winning all six remaining matches via an aggregate score of 17-6. On top of that, Pioli’s men have been scoring for fun before the home crowd of late, notching up a resounding average of 2.3 goals per game across their last ten Serie A matches at San Siro (W9, L1).
Much of the credit for the home side’s free-flowing form upfront goes to last season’s MVP award winner Rafael Leao. The sought-after winger has tallied two goals in three Serie A appearances against Fiorentina, including his breakthrough goal in the competition back in September 2019. But Milan may not necessarily rely only on the Portuguese ace to deliver the goods.
Veteran striker Olivier Giroud has troubled the scoreboard four times in his last four outings for Milan across all competitions. The Frenchman has grown into a talismanic figure in Lombardia, with the Rossoneri clocking up 17 wins in 18 matches featuring the former Chelsea marksman on the scoresheet.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina have found themselves on the receiving end of a 3-0 aggregate score on their last two Serie A visits to Milan, including a 1-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22. Consequentially, La Viola are staring down the barrel of back-to-back scoring blanks against the Rossoneri in Serie A for the first time since 2016.
However, Fiorentina can draw inspiration from their recent form on hostile turf, having gone unbeaten on their last three Serie A travels (W2, D2). Avoiding defeat at Milan would see them go four consecutive away league games without losing for the first time during Italiano’s tenure.
Moreover, after claiming a 2-0 win at Sampdoria, they could register successive away shutouts in Serie A for the first time in over a year. If you’re looking for an omen, Fiorentina have lost just once in their last 11 Serie A matches against Milan astaged in the first half of the season (W6, D3).
AC Milan vs Fiorentina Potential Line-ups
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Ciprin Tatarusanu; Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Pietro Terracciano; Dodo, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Cristiano Biraghi; Sofyan Amrabat, Rolando Mandragora; Jonathan Ikone, Giacomo Bonaventura, Christian Kouame; Luka Jovic.