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

With a place in next season's Champions League potentially slipping through their grasp, AC Milan will visit Genoa for a crucial Serie A clash at Stadio Ferraris on Sunday.

Having let several other teams back into the mix with a woeful run of results, the Rossoneri must win their final two matches to confirm a seat at Europe's top table.

Match preview

Watching on while their city rivals celebrate a rare domestic double, Milan's 2025-26 campaign has been heading in a totally different direction.

Still within striking distance of Inter just two months ago, after winning the Derby della Madonnina, the Rossoneri are now facing a fight just to secure Champions League football.

Juventus have already overtaken them, while Roma and Como are both closing in on Max Allegri's men, who are no longer so certain of a vital top-four finish.

After starting May with a 2-0 defeat against Sassuolo, Milan slipped up again last week, when they trailed by three goals at home to Atalanta before pulling two back and almost nicking a late leveller.

Now occupying fourth place with two games remaining, the Rossoneri are only ahead of Roma on head-to-head record, while Como lie just two points further behind.

Amid mass discontent in the stands, four points from their last six Serie A fixtures is the club's worst such run since 2019, continuing a huge drop-off in form.

With Allegri's future coming under intense scrutiny, Milan have accrued 17 fewer points in the second half of this season - and that is the biggest decline in Italy's top tier.

However, history will be on the visitors' side this weekend, as they have won on their last three visits to Genoa and have lost just one of the clubs' last 16 league contests - either home or away.

Much has changed since the most recent meeting - a 1-1 draw in January, when Rafael Leao struck a late equaliser at San Siro - because the Grifone no longer have to worry about top-flight survival.

In contrast to Milan's sharp decline, they have added 25 points to their tally during the second half of this season, already nine more than they took from the first - only Fiorentina have improved more.

Roma legend Daniele De Rossi has certainly made a major impact since taking over in November, and his side distanced themselves from the drop zone with five wins from eight as winter turned to spring.

However, as the finish line approaches, the Rossoblu have recently failed to score in three straight matches, including last week's 0-0 draw with Fiorentina.

After taking just two points from those games, De Rossi will be keen to get back on track with victory in Genoa's final home fixture, which would coincidentally do Roma a big favour.

Genoa Serie A form:

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AC Milan Serie A form:

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Team News

Milan must travel to Liguria without several regulars, as injured playmaker Luka Modric will be joined on the sidelines by three suspended players.

Rafael Leao, Alexis Saelemaekers and Pervis Estupinan are all unavailable, though Fikayo Tomori can now return after serving a one-match ban.

Both Leao and Christian Pulisic have been struggling to produce for several months, and the latter has gone 17 league games without scoring.

So, Christopher Nkunku - who found the net last week - Niclas Fullkrug and Santiago Gimenez are also in contention to start up front.

Genoa's attack is usually led by ex-Milan man Lorenzo Colombo, who has recorded eight Serie A goal involvements this season, two of which came against his old club.

The hosts are still missing former Rossoneri midfielder Junior Messias due to injury, but Tommaso Baldanzi and Brooke Norton-Cuffy have some hope of overcoming muscular problems.

With safety already secured, De Rossi may make changes, so the likes of Ruslan Malinovskyi, Stefano Sabelli and Johan Vasquez could return to his starting XI.

Genoa possible starting lineup:

Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Ellertsson; Ekhator, Vitinha; Colombo

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Athekame, Fofana, Ricci, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Gimenez

We say: Genoa 2-2 AC Milan

Milan have been shambolic since mid-March - leaking both goals and points at an alarming rate - so a tough trip to Marassi is not ideal when their top-four spot is at serious risk.

Free from any pressure, Genoa have won five of their last eight home matches, and they can dent the Rossoneri's Champions League dreams by holding out for a draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.