Preview: AC Milan vs Udinese - prediction, team news, lineups

Stumbling towards the finish line, AC Milan must react to their latest defeat when they welcome Udinese to San Siro on Saturday.

The Rossoneri slid to third place in Serie A - and surely out of the title race - by losing to Napoli last time out, while their visitors are still seeking a top-half finish.

Match preview

Coming out second-best in a cagey encounter at Stadio Maradona, Milan’s last real hope of snatching the Scudetto disappeared on Monday night, as they succumbed to a late goal against Napoli.

After beating Torino 3-2 before the international break, the Rossoneri trailed city rivals Inter Milan by a reduced tally of six points, but they now sit third and are nine points shy of top spot.

With seven rounds remaining, Max Allegri’s men should be more concerned with retaining their precious Champions League ticket, as Como, Juventus and Roma are all lurking behind.

Milan may have lost three of their last six Serie A matches - after going unbeaten through the previous 24 - but the last time they suffered back-to-back league defeats was more than a year ago.

While the Lombardy giants generally rise to the occasion when meeting top-half teams - a tally of 29 points is only matched by Inter - they have often toiled against less successful sides.

Before hosting 11th-placed Udinese, they only have the seventh-best record against clubs currently inside the bottom half of the standings.

Still, recent history will be firmly on their side: after a 3-0 away victory in September, Milan have won their last four games against this week’s opponents by an 11-2 aggregate scoreline.

Despite that dismal run against the Rossoneri, Udinese have fared relatively well in this fixture over the past decade, losing just four of the last 10 league meetings at San Siro.

Earlier this week, the Friulani ground out a gritty 0-0 draw with high-flying Como, ending their visitors’ five-game success streak.

As a result, they sit 11th in the table on 40 points, just two shy of a cherished top-half position with seven games to play.

Following a close brush with relegation two years ago, Kosta Runjaic has re-established Udinese as regulars in mid-table, and several of their star players are being slated for summer transfers.

Before facing a potential rebuild, the Bianconeri will target a positive finish, and some new-found defensive solidity should help in that regard.

Conceding just once across their last three fixtures, Udinese will head to Milan having kept consecutive clean sheets, while only seven teams have won more away games this season.

AC Milan Serie A form:

L W W L W L

Udinese Serie A form:

L W D L W D

Team News

Milan should have a full squad to choose from this weekend, as Matteo Gabbia has recovered from injury and could even start in central defence.

With all of his forwards now fit, Allegri faces a selection headache up front: Christian Pulisic and former Barcelona target Rafael Leao have scored eight and nine league goals respectively, but Christopher Nkunku, Niclas Fullkrug and Santiago Gimenez are also in contention.

Pulisic bagged a brace against Udinese in September but has not yet found the net in Serie A this calendar year - 13 goalless games marks his longest drought in the Italian top flight.

Meanwhile, Milan captain Mike Maignan is set to make his 300th appearance in Europe's top five leagues.

The France goalkeeper will try to shut out Udinese’s main man Keinan Davis, who has 10 Serie A goals this season, tying for third place in the Capocannoniere charts.

After serving a suspension on Monday, Davis can return to lead the Bianconeri’s attack, most likely joining Inter youth graduate Nicolo Zaniolo.

Due to a calf problem, Adam Buksa’s presence remains in some doubt, while Jordan Zemura and Alessandro Zanoli are certainly sidelined.

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Fullkrug

Udinese possible starting lineup:

Okoye; Kristensen, Kabasele, Solet; Ehizibue, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Atta, Kamara; Zaniolo, Davis