Milan-Verona is a Serie A Week 38 match, played on Sunday at 21:00: lineups, predictions, TV and streaming.
Paradoxically this match, for Verona, could go down in history as the ‘Fatal Milan’. This time, unlike in 1973 and 1990 – when twice AC Milan saw the Scudetto slip away in the photo finish on the turf of the ‘Bentegodi’ – it is the Scuderia who have to play for everything to stay in Serie A and avoid relegation.
And they will have to do it against a team, the Rossoneri, that since last week has nothing more to ask from this championship. Stefano Pioli’s men have achieved one of the season’s objectives, the only one left after the end of the Champions League dream and the elimination in the semi-final in the Euroderby against Inter. It was by no means a foregone conclusion, in light of the former Italian champions’ fluctuating progress in the second half of the season, but the two wins in a row against Sampdoria (5-1) and Juventus (0-1) and the 10-point penalty imposed on the Bianconeri by the sporting justice – effectively overturning the league table – allowed the Diavolo to secure one of the top four places with a day to spare. The decisive victory was the one that matured a week ago at the Allianz Stadium, against a Juve still shaken and demotivated by the judicial vicissitudes.
Scaligeri forced to win
There would still be a small chance to finish on the third step of the podium and overtake Inter’s cousins. A not inconsiderable defeat, but to do so, Milan must beat Verona and hope that the Nerazzurri, on the pitch twenty-four hours earlier, surrender to a more motivated Torino. Otherwise they will finish fourth.
Verona players
For the Veneto team, however, this match is a matter of life and death. Verona wasted an incredible opportunity a week ago, being caught up in the last minute of injury time by an already safe Empoli and not going beyond a draw (1-1) against Zanetti’s Tuscans. The lack of success did not allow them to detach Spezia, by now the only contender for salvation, who were battered (0-4) by Torino. With 90 minutes to go until the end of the game, the standings see the Gialloblù and the Bianconeri tied on 31 points: if the situation were to remain the same even after the last round of the championship, then the two teams would be forced to play a play-off, an ‘ancient’ rule reintroduced by the Lega Serie A from this year.
Milan v Verona: latest line-up news
The only absences Pioli has to reckon with are those of Ibrahimovic and Bennacer. There are two main doubts for the Rossoneri coach: Messias should be preferred as the high right outside forward over Saelemaekers, while in defence Thiaw seems to have a better chance than Kjaer. All eyes will be on Leao, fresh from his renewal: he has signed until 2028.
On the other side, Zaffaroni is likely to be without two starters like Verdi and Lazovic, who are both not at their best. The other absentees are Doig, Dawidowicz, Lasagna, Henry and Duda. It will therefore be 3-5-2, with Miguel Veloso being preferred to Abildgaard in midfield. In attack, there will be the usual Gaich-Djuric battle, with the Bosnian likely to win.
The Prediction
The different motivations suggest staying with Verona, who are obliged to score at least one point more than Spezia, meanwhile engaged at the Olimpico against Roma, to remain in the top flight. On the other side, however, there is a Milan side intent on closing the season with a victory in front of their home crowd and archiving it with a smile. Ultimately, the visitors should avoid defeat in a match with at least one goal on each side, which has occurred in two of the last three meetings between the two teams.
The likely formation for Milan v Verona
- MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Krunic; Messias, Brahim Diaz, Leao; Giroud.
- VERONA (3-5-2): Montipò; Magnani, Hien, Cabal; Faraoni, Tameze, Veloso, Sulemana, Depaoli; Ngonge, Djuric.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
