Tag Archives: Pioli

Cagliari vs. AC Milan: Team news, stats and prediction

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Following a very disappointing start to the year, managing just one point at home against Sampdoria, AC Milan have a lot to prove as they take on Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena tomorrow afternoon. Certainly, the pressure is on them to show that they really are on the right track. 

The Rossoneri’s performance last time out was dreadful overall, and although there were some positive glimpses, they will need to drastically improve as tomorrow’s clash won’t be an easy one. Sure, Cagliari’s impressive start has hit a roadblock as of late, but Milan have enough of their own problems to deal with.  Continue reading →

Bologna 2-3 AC Milan: Tops and flops for the Rossoneri

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AC Milan claimed all three points away at Bologna on Sunday evening, building on the important win against Parma. For the Rossoneri, it was only the second time this season that they have won two consecutive games, which certainly says a lot about their season so far. 

Finally, Stefano Pioli’s men converted their chances, showing great improvement from the clash against Parma. However, there was still a bit of drama as Bologna somehow managed to score two goals, both of which were very silly from Milan’s point of view. As many would agree, the scoreline didn’t do the Rossoneri’s performance justice. Continue reading →

AC Milan vs. Napoli: Team news, stats and prediction

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The international break has come to an end (finally) and AC Milan are gearing up to take on Napoli at the San Siro on Saturday evening. After a positive display against Juventus which, however, resulted in a loss, the Rossoneri will be looking to grab the three points this time out. 

Pioli’s side are currently sitting in 14th place in the standings, having claimed just 13 points in the first 12 games of the season. Of course, the manager didn’t start the campaign with the club, but there hasn’t been a significant improvement since he arrived either.

Therefore, the game against Napoli will be very important, as now is the time to exit the crisis and make sense of the season. In short, they certainly need to bounce back even without the necessary reinforcements, as it might be too late after the January transfer window.

TEAM NEWS

For Pioli, it might be tough to replicate the performance against Juventus, as three of the players who played from start will miss this game. Bennacer, Borini, Calhanoglu, Castillejo, Duarte and Rodriguez are all excluded from the squad the list. On the other hand, Kessie and Musacchio are back after missing out on the game in Turin.

According to today’s edition of Gazzetta Dello Sport, Pioli has opted to just make the necessary changes, which you can understand given that three changes are already a lot. Coming off what might have been their best display of the season, it would be foolish to try and tweak too much.

Musacchio will slot in at the back alongside Romagnoli, having just returned from the injury that paved the way for Duarte in the first place. Other than that, the defence will remain intact, with Conti and Hernandez occupying the flanks. It will be interesting to see how they can cope with Napoli’s speed on the counter-attacks.

Per the newspaper, Biglia will play in the holding midfield role, as he is the natural replacement for the suspended Bennacer. Just like against Juventus, Paqueta and Krunic will offer support to the regista on each side. The two performed very well at the Allianz Stadium and further cemented their respective spot in the starting eleven.

Tonight’s clash will be a big chance for Piatek to prove the management wrong, as there have been rumours of a potential loan exit in January. Hopefully, he can build on his goal for Poland during the international break. Suso and Bonaventura will offer support on the flanks, with the latter replacing the suspended Calhanoglu.

AC Milan (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Conti, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Paquetà, Biglia, Krunic; Suso, Piatek, Bonaventura.

STATS

In recent years, the Rossoneri have struggled against Napoli. Therefore, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too much, although they have beaten the Partenopei under worse circumstances. Down below are the top five facts and stats for the game, provided by Opta.

  • Milan have won none of the last four matches at Meazza against Napoli in Serie A (D2 L2): their longest winless streak on home soil against Napoli since the ‘80s.
  • Napoli have lost just one of their last 16 matches against Milan in Serie A (W9 D6): a 0-2 defeat in December 2014, whilst Milan were managed by Filippo Inzaghi.
  • Milan have lost seven of their opening 12 matches in a Serie A season, for the first time since 1941/42: Milan have never lost eight of their first 13 matches in the league.
  • Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne has scored six goals against Milan in Serie A, against no side has he scored more.
  • Napoli (9 pts fewer) and Milan (8 pts fewer) both have fewer points than at this stage last season.

 

PREDICTION

Milan, and Napoli as well to some extent, can’t afford to lose tonight’s encounter. Therefore, it should be an exciting clash, which hopefully can result in three points for Pioli’s men. The game against Juventus certainly sparked some hope, although they will need to be very focused to replicate that performance. Given that both sides are struggling, I would say that a draw is a fair prediction.

AC Milan 1-1 Napoli

Juventus 1-0 AC Milan: Tops and flops for the Rossoneri

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Despite a very positive performance, after a period of disappointment, AC Milan failed to keep a clean sheet away at Juventus on Sunday evening. The Bianconeri managed to clinch all three points in the end, as Dybala came to their rescue.

Pioli’s men put up a good fight despite their recent struggles, which perhaps caught the home side by surprise, who were predicted to win the game with ease. However, after just ten minutes, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be the case. Then again, Juve snatched all points, which is what matters. Continue reading →

Juventus 1-0 AC Milan: Positive display results in disappointing loss for the Rossoneri

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As anticipated, Juventus grabbed all three points against AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium this evening. However, they had to work a lot harder than perhaps expected, as the Rossoneri were on par with the home side for a majority of the game. 

Many expected the Bianconeri to instantly take control of the game. However, after just ten minutes of play, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for Sarri’s men. Both sides misplaced many passes, which resulted in sloppy end-to-end play at the beginning.  Continue reading →

AC Milan 1-2 Lazio: Piatek goal not enough for the Rossoneri in close tie

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After the important win against SPAL, Pioli was hoping to add another three points to his tally this evening. However, after a very close tie, Lazio snatched the win in the final stages of the game. 

Milan started the clash quite well, looking much better compared to the clash against SPAL on Thursday evening. Even though there were some misplaced passes, the Rossoneri players committed far less individual errors, which resulted in a better flow to their play. Continue reading →

AC Milan vs. Lazio: Team news, stats and prediction

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AC Milan finally managed to get their first win under Stefano Pioli, beating SPAL by the odd goal at San Siro. However, the performance was far from convincing and the manager still has a lot to work on, though there is little time to do so as the Rossoneri will face Lazio on Sunday evening. 

After starting on the bench, Suso came to the rescue last time out as he replaced Castillejo in the second half. The Spaniard made the most of a free-kick as he struck it beautifully, putting his side in front. Luckily for Pioli, it was enough to secure his first win in charge of the San Siro side.  Continue reading →

AC Milan 1-0 SPAL: Suso saves lacklustre Rossoneri with lovely free-kick

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AC Milan just about managed to grab their first three points in almost a month, thanks to a wonderful free-kick by Suso. However, Pioli’s side looked far from convincing and there is still a lot that needs to be worked on. 

In the early stages of the game, Milan looked just as lost as they did against Roma, misplacing several passes and failing to keep hold of the ball. Furthermore, SPAL managed to put their opponents under pressure with ease, just by holding up their positions. Continue reading →

AC Milan vs. SPAL: Team news, stats and prediction

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Third time’s the charm, right? This evening, Stefano Pioli will look to grab his first win with the Rossoneri, having collected just one point from his first two games in charge. However, given how poor the team has performed as of late, it certainly won’t be an easy task. 

The defeat against Roma last weekend highlighted Milan’s main issue: individual mistakes. Both of the Giallorossi’s goals were created by Pioli’s men, who could have conceded more if the home side had been a bit more composed. For the Rossoneri faithful, it was painful to watch, as the players threw away the game.

TEAM NEWS

As a result of the most recent outing, Pioli is expected to make four significant changes to the line-up, hoping to get a reaction from his squad this evening. In defence, he will experiment with a new solution, putting Duarte at the right-back position. Most likely, this means that they will play with a back-three when in possession.

Calabria and Conti have failed to impress on the right flank and you can understand Pioli’s decision. However, it remains to be seen if it will be an improvement, although it’s certain that Hernandez will get even more freedom to move forward down the left-hand side.

Further up the pitch, Bennacer will finally get the nod ahead of Biglia. The latter has been the preferred starter under both Giampaolo and Pioli. Therefore, it will be an important opportunity for the young Algerian to prove his worth this evening, expected to add a more dynamic touch to the midfield.

Just like the initial report suggested this week, Suso will be on the bench for the first time this season. The Spaniard hasn’t been able to replicate his performances from last season, failing to find the back of the net in the first nine games. Instead, Pioli will opt for Castillejo, who isn’t exactly a fan favourite either. However, it might be enough to motivate Suso to try harder.

In addition to the former Liverpool man, Leao will also start tonight’s clash on the bench. The Portuguese striker has been one of the few highlights for Milan thus far. However, since being moved to the centre-forward role, he has struggled to get his finishing right. Therefore, Piatek will play from the first minute this evening, ready to build on his goal against Lecce.

Likely AC Milan XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Duarte, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Paqueta, Bennacer, Kessie; Castillejo, Piatek, Calhanoglu.

STATS

At this point, we can’t rely too much on stats. The Rossoneri have been consistently poor at the start of the season and of course, this matters a lot more than what happened last campaign, when they were actually quite good. Down below is a list of the top five facts and stats about the fixture, so make what you will from it.

  • SPAL have won only one of their 36 Serie A encounters against AC Milan (2.8%): their lowest win percentage against a single opponent in the competition (min. 6 games played).
  • AC Milan have lost only one of their last five Serie A games played on a Thursday (W2 D2), whilst they have been managed by five different managers in this run.
  • AC Milan have lost five games in Serie A this season (W3, D1), only twice in their history have they lost six of their opening 10 league games of a season: in 1938/39 and in 1941/42.
  • Franck Kessié has scored three goals in four Serie A appearances against SPAL, including a brace back in May: against no side has he scored more in the competition.
  • Andrea Petagna made his Serie A debut with Milan in August 2013, against Verona – he scored in his last league game against Milan at San Siro (December 2018).


PREDICTION

Normally, Milan would be the favourites in this fixture, and they still probably are to some extent. However, an upset certainly can’t be ruled out, given how the Rossoneri have performed as of late. That said, though, I think that Pioli will be able to claim his first three points by a narrow margin.

AC Milan 1-0 SPAL

Roma 2-1 AC Milan: Careless Rossoneri side fail to bounce back

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Following the disappointing 2-2 draw against Lecce last weekend, AC Milan failed to get back to winning ways this evening as Roma secured all three points at the Olimpico. The Rossoneri certainly have themselves to blame, committing many individual errors. 

Pioli’s men got off to a bright start as they were allowed to own possession, while also creating a few half-chances. However, the hosts managed to work their way into the game, resulting in both sides doing their best to gain control of the encounter.  Continue reading →