Serie A Preview: Milan vs Genoa – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

Sunday’s Serie A program caps off at Stadio San Siro with a crunch meeting between European hopefuls Milan and bottom-half Genoa. Both sides are in dire need of points, albeit for different reasons.

Milan left it late to beat Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda in midweek UEFA Champions League action, significantly improving their chances of securing a sought-after automatic knockout qualification. Rafael Leao’s goal on the stroke of halftime handed Milan the lead, yet they claimed a dramatic 2-1 win courtesy of Tammy Abraham’s controversial 87th-minute winner.

Head coach Paulo Fonseca wouldn’t mind another scrappy victory if Milan can bounce back into the win column after last Friday’s morale-crushing 2-1 loss at Atalanta. Now trapped a substantial nine points off the top-four pace in Serie A, the hosts must launch a considerable winning streak to whittle down the gap on fourth-placed Fiorentina.

Genoa will be out to throw a spanner in the works and maintain their form resurgence under new boss Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman has masterminded a three-game unbeaten league run since taking over from Alberto Gilardino in late November, with his only win in that sequence arriving away from home against Udinese (D2).

The Griffins are now undefeated in five Serie A matches (W2, D3) for the first time since February 2024, highlighting sky-high confidence around the visiting camp ahead of this traditionally fateful road trip. If there was ever a moment for Genoa to defy their long-standing struggles at San Siro, it’s now.

Match Preview

Milan

Milan can’t let a four-game winning streak in the Champions League for the first time since 2005 distract them from a sub-par domestic campaign. With three games left until the end of the calendar year, Fonseca’s men must pursue all nine points against Genoa, Hellas Verona, and Roma to improve their Serie A prospects.

But they have to do one step at a time. Overcoming Genoa looks like a routine task on paper. Milan have got the better of this opposition in nine of their last 13 encounters in Serie A (D3, L1). Furthermore, they have bagged multiple goals in eight of the ten most recent games against Genoa in domestic competitions.

San Siro forms the perfect backdrop for maintaining that run, with Milan winning four of their last six home league outings ‘to nil’ (D1, L1). Despite often lacking defensive resilience during Fonseca’s early tenure, they kept a clean sheet in five of those six matches. However, that’s a feat they haven’t done in this fixture since a scoreless draw in October 2017.

Genoa

Genoa’s last league victory on Milan’s home ground dates back to 2020, while they’ve since lost twice on three top-flight visits to San Siro, conceding 2+ goals on each occasion. However, their newfound strength on the road could encourage them to turn the tables on the Rossoneri this weekend.

After three consecutive multi-goal margins on their Serie A travels, Vieira’s men have won back-to-back away league games without conceding. They’re on the brink of history, bidding to win a third successive away match in Italy’s top flight for the first time since November 2014.

Vieira returns to San Siro as a foe, having briefly donned the Milan shirt during his early playing career. It should serve as an added motive for the Frenchman to pull off an upset and hinder Milan’s chances of recovering ground on the division’s top four.

Team News

Milan lost Alvaro Morata and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to injuries on Wednesday. They’ve joined Christian Pulisic and long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi, Luka Jovic, and Ismael Bennacer on the sidelines. Strapped for options in attack, Fonseca will likely turn to Samuel Chukwueze to fill the void.

As for Genoa, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Junior Messias, Koni De Winter, Honest Ahanor, and Caleb Ekuban are unavailable for selection. Therefore, all eyes will be on Andrea Pinamonti and Alessandro Zanoli. Both players have fared outstandingly under Vieira, especially the latter.

Milan vs Genoa Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Musah; Chukwueze, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham.

Genoa (4-3-2-1): Leali; Sabelli, Bani, Vasquez, Martin; Frendrup, Badelj, Thorsby; Zanoli, Miretti; Pinamonti.

Milan vs Genoa Prediction

Despite showing signs of improvement, Genoa should be out of their depth at San Siro. We don’t fancy the Griffins’ chances of punching above their weight against a top-half side in desperate need of points.

However, one goal could separate the teams at the final whistle.

Prediction: Milan to Win

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