Milan travel east in the final showing of Serie A action on Saturday night as they face Andrea Sottil’s Udinese at the Dacia Arena. The Rossoneri will be looking for a much-improved showing following their 1-1 draw at home to Salernitana on Monday, whilst the Zebrette are hoping for back-to-back victories after defeating Empoli away from home last weekend.
After a masterful defensive display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that saw Milan reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2012, Stefano Pioli’s side failed to pick up three points at the San Siro against relegation candidates Salernitana.
The Scudetto seems pretty much out of range now and Milan are 20 points behind leaders Napoli. All focus will now turn to securing a top four finish in Serie A and going as deep as possible in Europe. However, the Rossoneri must improve their domestic form and are set to battle it out with Inter, Lazio, Roma, Atalanta and potentially Juventus to secure Champions League football next season.
Udinese are searching for their best finish since 2013 as they currently occupy tenth place. Although it seems extremely unlikely that they will be able to match their fifth-placed finish under Francesco Guidolin ten years prior, Sottil will be hoping he can guide his side to the top half this time around, with a potential spot in the European places also on the horizon.
Preview
Udinese
After a wonderful opening to the 2022/23 Serie A campaign that saw the club lose just one in ten, Udinese’s form has slipped and they have now registered just one victory in their last seven. The narrow 1-0 triumph away to Empoli last weekend was their first three points since January.
However, the Friulani have lost just once in their last five games and will prove to be a stern test for the champions on Saturday. Nevertheless, a draw seems to be the most likely outcome since Udinese have drawn the most number of games out of any other team in Serie A this term, sharing the points in 11 out of their 26 games.
Player to Watch: Roberto Pereyra
The 32-year-old has made nine goal contributions in the league so far this season in just 23 appearances and will provide a creative spark in the middle of midfield for the hosts. The captain is desperate for a return to European football and will be doing all he can to push his side further up the table.
Milan
The Rossoneri will be concerned by their poor away form this season and their 1-0 win away to Monza last month was their only victory on the road in their last five in Serie A. Four of Milan’s six defeats this term have come on their travels and a 2-1 defeat in their last league outing in Tuscany against Fiorentina doesn’t bode well for them heading into this one.
The visitors will take confidence, nevertheless, in the fact that they are undefeated in their last six meetings with Udinese since their last loss came back in 2019. However, that defeat did come in Udine and this fixture has ended in a draw in three out of the last five meetings.
Player to Watch: Mike Maignan
The French sweeper keeper has been in excellent form since his return to the side against Atalanta at the end of February. Magic Mike also put in fantastic display away to Spurs in the Champions League, making a world-class stop at the death to deny a Harry Kane header. He will be key in securing a result for Milan, with his distribution also being influential to their build-up play.
Essere vittoriosi o sconfitti ma combattere ⚒️❤️? #GloryToGod ☝? pic.twitter.com/k3ohoH32HB
— Magic Mike Maignan (@mmseize) March 9, 2023
Team News
Gerard Deulofeu’s persistent knee issues will see him miss the rest of the season after he underwent surgery in January. Defender Enzo Ebosse will also be unable to feature since his campaign is also over after rupturing his ACL.
After putting in some impressive displays at right wing-back for Milan in recent weeks, Junior Messias has been ruled out for the next four weeks due to a thigh injury. Alexis Saelemaekers was the preferred option for Pioli on Monday night to replace the Brazilian but both Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi are also in contention to get the nod.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be in line for a return to the starting lineup for the first time since January 2022, with fellow forward Olivier Giroud suspended. The 41-year-old has been stepping up his involvement in recent weeks as his recovery from an ACL injury continues and looks ready to start here. Divock Origi is also another option, whilst Charles De Ketelaere could also feature in a false nine role.
Udinese vs Milan Potential Lineups
Udinese (3-5-2): Marco Silvestri; Rodrigo Becao, Jaka Bijol, Nehuen Perez; Kingsley Ehizibue, Roberto Pereyra, Walace, Sandi Lovric, Destiny Udogie; Beto, Isaac Success
Milan (3-4-2-1): Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori; Alexis Saelemaekers, Sandro Tonali, Rade Krunic, Theo Hernandez; Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Udinese vs Milan Prediction
Neither side enter this one in the best of form and the hosts have failed to win in any of their last five home games. Milan’s struggles away from the San Siro will likely continue here so we are expecting the two teams to share the points.
Prediction: Draw