Having followed a league loss last weekend with spectacular success in Europe, AC Milan are back in action on Saturday, when they host struggling Spezia at San Siro.
The Rossoneri bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Torino in Serie A by beating RB Salzburg to seal progress in the Champions League, and they now face a side yet to record either a point or even a goal on their travels.
Match preview
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Requiring just a draw to reach the Champions League's knockout stage for the first time in nine years, Milan merely had to hold Salzburg at arm's length when the teams met at San Siro on Wednesday evening.
The Italian champions secured second spot in Group E in some style though, with a 4-0 win which came largely as a result of Olivier Giroud's brace, completed either side of the half-time break.
Posting consecutive victories in the continent's top club competition for the first time since 2011, the seven-time European champions are now in the hat for Monday's draw, but will first aim to recover from a rare slip-up in Serie A.
Milan sat second in the top flight before travelling to Turin last weekend, but after making several changes to his lineup, coach Stefano Pioli came unstuck: his side lost both for the first time in 18 Serie A away matches and just the second in the league this season.
After a disjointed 2-1 defeat to Torino, the injury-afflicted Rossoneri slipped to third, some six points adrift of relentless leaders Napoli, who took full advantage by winning their 10th game from 12.
If they stumble again, Milan would lose successive Serie A matches for the first time in a year, so Pioli will now turn to his usually watertight defence on San Siro soil: in 2022, they have kept nine clean sheets at home, the joint-most in the league; only Liverpool and Real Sociedad have recorded more throughout the top five European Leagues.
However, Saturday's visitors Spezia are one of only two teams to have beaten the Rossoneri at home this year, with a 2-1 success in February being followed by Napoli's victory earlier this season.
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In fact, since promotion to the top flight for the first time ever in 2020, Spezia have won two of their four league meetings with Milan.
Perhaps more pertinently, though, the Ligurian outfit have lost without scoring in each of their first six Serie A away games this term, while only four sides in history have lost seven in a row without finding the net - and just one this century.
In all, Luca Gotti's men have failed to score in half of their league fixtures to date, which represents the joint-worst tally in that regard, along with fellow strugglers Sampdoria. Furthermore, they are currently leaking away goals at a rate of over two per game.
Only their form back in La Spezia is keeping the Aquilotti afloat at the moment, but even there they were beaten last weekend, as they succumbed to a late Fiorentina winner at Stadio Alberto Picco.
Picking up a single point from October's schedule is a trend which cannot continue if Gotti is to remain in post much longer, but meeting Milan now is almost the last thing the Spezia coach needs.
More winnable fixtures against his former club Udinese, who have begun to tail off following an impressive start, and then Verona are to come in the next week, so it could be a case of damage limitation at San Siro on Saturday.
Team News
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Amid a packed pre-World Cup schedule of five games in a fortnight, Milan are set to make several changes to the side that started Wednesday's win over Salzburg, with veteran striker Olivier Giroud an obvious candidate to be rested after completing 90 minutes.
Divock Origi should therefore return to the first XI on Saturday, having scored on his full debut against Monza last month. Junior Messias may replace Ante Rebic on the right wing, too, while in-form Brahim Diaz and the Belgian duo of Charles De Ketelaere and Aster Vranckx compete for places behind the lone frontman.
Spezia are the side against which Rafael Leao has scored his most Serie A goals (three), and the Portuguese powerhouse has scored five times and laid on four assists in the league this season - only Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have been involved in more.
Still on the injury list, meanwhile, are full-backs Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi, plus winger Alexis Saelemaekers, goalkeeper Mike Maignan and long-term absentee Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
While Giroud and Leao have been particularly prolific for the hosts, Spezia's M'bala Nzola has netted exactly half of his club's goals in Serie A this season, though each of them have come on home soil. Though the Angola striker scored in last week's loss to Fiorentina, he has failed to find the net in successive appearances since January 2021.
Nzola's likely support act, captain Emmanuel Gyasi, has yet to either score or assist a single goal this term, but should still start on Saturday; Milan loanee Daniel Maldini features on the bench.
Meanwhile, both Simone Bastoni and Viktor Kovalenko are expected to be out of action until January, but Emil Holm hopes to be fit after picking up a knock. Following his late dismissal last weekend, defensive regular Dimitris Nikolaou must serve a suspension.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Bennacer, Pobega; Messias, Diaz, Leao; Origi
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Amian, Ampadu, Kiwior; Holm, Ekdal, Bourabia, Agudelo, Reca; Gyasi, Nzola
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Spezia
There is no reason to think that Spezia will break their duck on the road this time out, as they face a formidable force in the shape of Milan at San Siro. With little to offer up front, the visitors will be overpowered by the Scudetto holders at the other end; keeping the hosts in touch with Napoli at the top of the table.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
