Matchday 17 for the AC Milan team is here as they travel to northeastern Italy to face Udinese at the Dacia arena stadium. Stefano Pioli's men want to turn the page of the defeat against Liverpool by creating some strong momentum in the league and win tonight.
The Rossoneri meet Gabriele Cioffi's men while being first in the table with 38 points, followed by Inter who have been able to climb to second place and collect 37 points along the way while Napoli are third with 36 points. As for Atalanta, they are fourth with 34 points. The race at the top is very close which is why Pioli and his team cannot afford to lose any points at this stage of this long season.
Udinese, on the other hand, are 15th in the Serie A table with just 16 points. They have conceded 27 goals so far in 16 games and scored 21. The black and white faithful have not been able to grab a win since November 7 (against Sassuolo 3-2). Since then, they lost against Torino 2-1, had a goalless draw against Genoa, a 4-4 thrilling draw versus Lazio and lost away from home to Napoli 3-1.
For AC Milan, there are many absences: Davide Calabria, Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao, Simon Kjaer, Ante Rebic, Alessandro Plizzari, Pietro Pellegri, and Andrea Conti who was also not called up. The depth is thin right now and some players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic are working 'overtime' as there is no true replacement for him as of now.
Many important players for the Rossoneri can still make the difference and be able to bring a win home, however. Special attention should be on Brahim Diaz and Ismael Bennacer on particular. The Spanish attacking midfielder is looking to regain his form. His agility and dribbling are always a factor that contributes well to the team's collective effort. The young playmaker is always able to look out for some open teammates and pass them the ball, thus creating important chances. As for the Algerian midfielder of AC Milan, he is tipped to start. His vision to pick out long passes and ability to get out of the pressing applied by the other team are always appreciated.
In the attack, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will hopefully not be isolated like in the match against Liverpool. He will be needed to participate in the phase of the building of the attack and open up some space to the wingers and playmaker who will be supporting him.
As for Udinese tonight, a familiar face, and old friend, is eager to leave a trace against his former AC Milan team We are talking about: Gerard Deulofeu. The 27-year-old Spanish forward is a tricky player to mark as he uses his speed and ability to leave defenders behind. This season, he's been able to score 4 goals and 2 assists in 14 Serie A games.
In the defensive line, Udinese have an important pillar: Dutch 31-year-old centre-back Bram Nuytinck. Gabriele Cioffi can rely on the physicality of this player. The Dutch star will be teaming up with the rest of the defenders to create a wall that blocks the attempts of the Rossoneri.
It will be indeed a difficult match, Udinese will try to hit Milan hard with counter-attacks and also stay compact when the ball is not with them. AC Milan will aim to keep possession of the ball and press highly. It will be a very hard game because the hosts want to get a positive result and possibly a win. They are eager to prove themselves and they have a lot of potential to display.
Their probable formation could be the following:
3-4-2-1: Silvestri; Perez, Becao, Nuytinck; Molina, Arslan, Walace, Udogie; Success, Deulofeu; Beto
As for the AC Milan side, here is the probable lineup 👇
