Salernitana-Milan is a Week 16 match of Serie A and is played on Wednesday at 12:30: odds, predictions, TV and streaming.
The Serie A is the penultimate of Europe’s top leagues to start again and the first match on the schedule is the lunch match at the Arechi between hosts Salernitana and Italian champions AC Milan. Granata and Rossoneri are obviously fighting for different goals but both have something in common: they have lost all the friendlies played during the fifty long days of rest for the Qatari World Cup.
Stefano Pioli’s team had arrived at the break with bated breath, but with a bit of luck they had got the better of Fiorentina, beaten 2-1 at the San Siro thanks to an own goal by the violet defender Milenkovic in the midst of the recovery. Three suffered but precious points, since they allowed the Diavolo to keep intact the gap from Napoli, which for now remains at +8, and to avoid the overtaking of the other competitors. Juventus are only two points behind, but Inter and Lazio are not far behind either. Winning at Salerno would be crucial for Milan, considering that a few hours later Inter and Napoli will take points off each other in this day’s eagerly awaited big match: winning seems the only way to try and stay in the game for the tricolour. To do so, Pioli must improve the away performance, where so far his men have been too erratic. In the last two, in fact, they have collected only one point between Torino and Cremonese.
Milan, friendlies to forget
The coach from Emilia appeared visibly worried after the heavy defeat – the third after the ones in the United Arab Emirates against Arsenal and Liverpool – suffered in the friendly against Psv Eindhoven, who last Friday overwhelmed the Rossoneri 3-0.
Piatek
Not even his colleague Davide Nicola was jumping for joy, who came out soundly beaten by Fenerbahçe and Alanyaspor in the Turkish retreat. Results that matched those Salernitana had recorded at the beginning of November: 2-1 in Florence and 3-0 in Monza. The Campania side have not won since their historic victory at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio, but remain in a quiet position in the standings, +10 above the relegation zone.
Salernitana-Milan: the latest line-up news
At Salernitana, the experienced Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa, who arrived on a zero-parameter immediately after the World Cup, will make his debut. For the time being, he will take the place of the injured Sepe, who is unlikely to return before mid-January. Other important absences are those of Mazzocchi and Maggiore, as well as the disqualified Candreva. On the flanks Nicola is expected to field Sambia and Bradaric, while Piatek and Dia will play up front.
In Milan, Maignan, whose return is further away, is a worry. To be on the safe side, the Rossoneri have picked up Devis Vasquez, but for now Tatarusanu will be in goal. The injury list is still very long: Rebic, Florenzi, Ballo-Touré, Origi and Ibrahimovic will also be missing. On the left flank, Hernandez, who has not yet recovered from his World Cup exertions, is in doubt. On the three-quarter line, finally, it is a ballot between the mysterious object De Ketelaere and Brahim Diaz.
The prediction
Salernitana have been able to put several big teams through their paces in the first half of the season and have only lost in front of their home crowd on two occasions. It promises to be a potentially hostile away match for a Milan side who have struggled in friendly matches, partly due to too many absences. Milan have one of the most prolific attacks in the league – the third after Napoli and Inter – and the Granatas are conceding a few too many: both sides should score at least one.
Salernitana v Milan: the likely line-up
- SALERNITANA (3-5-2): Ochoa; Bronn, Daniliuc, Fazio; Sambia, Vilhena, Radovanovic, L. Coulibaly, Bradaric; Dia, Piatek.
- MILAN (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Leao; Giroud.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
