Saturday’s Serie A action closes out at the Stadio Arechi as basement boys Salernitana entertain table-topping Milan. After a series of underwhelming results, the new Granata owners dismissed head coach Stefano Colantuono earlier this week.
While waiting for a new manager to take over, Salernitana hope to upset Milan in their first top-flight meeting at home since September 1998. Yet, a run of six defeats from their last seven Serie A home matches (D1) does not look encouraging, neither does the fact they have failed to score five times in that period.
Meanwhile, Milan built on a come-from-behind 2-1 derby win over Inter with a well-deserved 1-0 victory over Sampdoria last time out. Brimming with confidence on the back of recent results, the Rossoneri now harbour realistic hopes of claiming their first Scudetto since the 2010/11 season.
Salernitana Form Guide
Following back-to-back three-goal defeats at the hands of Lazio and Napoli, Salrentina have drawn their last two Serie A games with fellow bottom-half rivals Spezia and Genoa. Three of those four matches saw the opening goal arrive within 20 minutes of play, with all four featuring 2+ first-half goals.
Salernitana’s defensive woes have seen them concede 2+ goals in each of their last four Serie A home outings. Indeed, only Empoli (34) have conceded more league goals on home turf than the Granata (26) this Serie A campaign. An average of 2.36 goals shipped per home league fixture looks worrying if you are cheering for the Campania outfit.
What’s more, they have lost all six top-flight encounters against current top-five sides this term by an aggregate score of 15-1. Given that each of their last four Serie A home defeats have come by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ Salernitana look like a doomed outfit here.
Milan Form Guide
Since Stefano Pioli arrived at the helm in 2019, Milan have won 33 of their 36 Serie A away matches, more than any other side in Europe’s top-five leagues in that period. Only Atalanta (30) have picked up more Serie A points on the road than the Rossoneri (29) this term, which shows how much Pioli’s team enjoy themselves on the hostile ground.
Coming into this matchday, Milan have gone unbeaten in their last five Serie A away games (W4, D1), scoring an average of 2.0 goals per win in the process. Indeed, they are one goal away from becoming the first Serie A side to smash a 30-goal barrier on the road this season, a feat they seem likely to achieve on Saturday.
Milan have netted 2+ goals in each of their five Serie A meetings with Salernitana, averaging 2.4 goals per match. The Rossoneri cruised to a clear-cut 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture at San Siro, with both strikes arriving before the 20-minute mark.
Salernitana vs Milan Prediction
Salernitana will be desperate to defy the odds and avoid defeat against the Serie A pacesetters as they aim to maintain their faint hopes of retaining their top-flight status come May. But a poor form, coupled with Colantuono’s recent sacking, gives them the slimmest of chances against Pioli’s high-flyers.
Milan defeated Sampdoria 1-0 last time out only thanks to Wladimiro Falcone’s outstanding performance between the sticks. The Rossoneri have hit their stride following a couple of uninspiring results, and we predict them to run riot at the Stadio Arechi. Anything but the visitors’ landslide victory would be a major surprise.