Milan, not going beyond a draw in the direct clash at San Siro with Fiorentina (2-2) last Saturday, may have definitively said goodbye to the possibility of qualifying for the next edition of the Champions League, the minimum seasonal goal. Yes, it’s true, of the six teams ahead of Sergio Conceiçao’s men in the standings, only Lazio has won in the last round but the distance from fourth place, occupied by Bologna, has remained at 9 points, which is not a small margin with seven games to go.
Against the Viola, the Diavolo showed both their strengths and weaknesses, as usual: after going 2 goals down in the 10th minute of the first half, Theo Hernandez and his teammates were able to react, catching up with the Viola halfway through the second half and even coming close to scoring what could have been the 3-2 goal, as demonstrated by the 2.65 xG produced. At the same time, however, the Rossoneri once again disappointed when not in possession of the ball, given that Fiorentina could have also knocked them out (two goals disallowed by VAR). In short, there’s not even a shadow of the solidity hoped for by the Portuguese coach: in the last 9 matches in various competitions, Milan have never managed to keep a clean sheet.
They will need to improve in this respect if they are to try and climb the table (they are currently in ninth place) as this is not acceptable for a club that started the season with very different ambitions. They can’t afford to make any mistakes against Udinese who, having reached 40 points, have slowed down a little and are showing signs of complacency. With the one they suffered last Friday at the Marassi stadium against Genoa (1-0), the bianconeri have now suffered three consecutive defeats. There has also been a clear decline in their attacking play: in the last 270 minutes, Kosta Runjaic’s team has barely scored a single goal.
Udinese-Milan: the latest news on the line-ups
Friulian coach Runjaic is confident that Davis and Thauvin will recover in time. If neither of them are ready to play in attack, Iker Bravo and Lucca will play again. Compared to the match against Genoa, we can expect some changes in the midfield. We’ll see the Slovenian Lovric again, while on the right Ekkelenkamp is challenged by Payero.
At Milan the main doubt concerns Gimenez’s condition: the former Feyenoord striker came out of the match against Fiorentina with an injury and could start from the bench. This raises Abraham’s odds. Jimenez is back available after his suspension, while in midfield Bondo should join Fofana.
Odds comparison
AC Milan’s win is quoted at 1.95 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.92 on Snai. The “Goal” sign is quoted at 1.63 on Goldbet, Lottomatica and Snai.
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The prediction
Two wins each in the last 4 previous matches and from 2020 onwards only on two occasions one of the two has failed to score. Unlike the first leg, when Fonseca was still Milan’s coach (in October the Rossoneri won 1-0 with a goal from Nigerian Chukwueze), this time both should score, with Udinese likely to take advantage of some defensive lapses by the Diavolo. The “2” sign should also be considered, if we consider that for Conceiçao’s team it is one of the last chances to get back in the running for a place in Europe.
The probable line-ups for Udinese-Milan
UDINESE (4-4-2): Okoye; Ehizibue, Bijol, Solet, Kamara; Atta, Karlstrom, Lovric, Payero; Iker Bravo, Lucca.
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Bondo, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham.