Serie A Preview: Milan vs Udinese: Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Serie A action resumes this Saturday, with Milan seeking amends for a lackluster patch before October’s international window. Early surprise package Udinese roll into town with the ambition of staying above their more-heralded hosts in the standings.

Just as it seemed like Paulo Fonseca’s tenure at Stadio San Siro was picking up pace, another disaster struck. In a game of three missed penalties, Milan slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina last time out and, as a result, headed into the two-week hiatus from club football five points adrift of league-leaders Napoli.

Christian Pulisic’s second-half equalizer to maintain his outstanding start to the season wasn’t enough to spare the Rossoneri’s blushes in Tuscany. Fikayo Tomori’s late mistake allowed Albert Gudmundsson to snatch three points for Fiorentina, heightening the pressure on Fonseca. After having a fortnight to regroup, the Portuguese manager can’t afford another slip-up.

However, visiting Udinese won’t be out to do any favors to Milan. Back-to-back defeats to Roma and Inter had taken winds out of the Friulians’ sails before Jordan Zemura’s last winner against Lecce restored confidence around Kosta Runjaic’s camp.

As a result of their first league triumph since mid-September, Udinese entered the break two points ahead of Milan. Runjaic’s tag as a miracle worker has rekindled optimism at the Bluenergy Stadium, yet the German head coach must now prove he can handle a high-profile fixture.

Match Preview

Milan

A dismal slump at Stadio Artemio Franchi puts Milan on the precipice of losing consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since February 2023. Things can quickly turn around in football, with the Rossoneri again revisiting their decision to hire Fonseca only two weeks after a three-game winning league run made them believe they made the right choice.

For Fonseca, every potential failure in the coming weeks could be his final act as Milan boss. After opening their UEFA Champions League season with successive losses against Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool, the Italian giants desperately need three points in their upcoming away clash against Club Brugge.

Therefore, the ex-Roma tactician must pay attention to his team’s European duties without neglecting domestic commitments. Perhaps he can draw inspiration from Milan’s promising-looking record of three wins from their last four league outings at San Siro, including a stunning 2-1 Derby della Madonnina victory against Inter.

Udinese

Udinese will unlikely be intimidated by Milan’s indomitable home form after posting a 1-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture last term. In turn, they are standing on the brink of history, vying for two consecutive away league wins against the 19-time Serie A champions for the first time.

Runjaic’s side papered the cracks after a momentary form relapse with a 1-0 home win against Lecce on the stroke of the international break. However, whether they can remain on the upward trajectory outside of the comforts of their home remains questionable.

Udinese have blown hot and cold across their three Serie A travels this season (W1, D1, L1). It’s equally significant to note that they had gone six straight visits to Milan without winning (D3, L3) before bucking that trend last November.

If there’s a silver lining for the visitors, it’s the fact they’ve not lost two away league matches in succession since last December.

Team News

Milan will be without long-serving absentees Ismael Bennacer, Malick Thiaw, Marco Sportiello, and Alessandro Florenzi. There are question marks over the heads of Davide Calabria, Samuel Chukwueze, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

However, the most devastating blow is the absence of Theo Hernandez, who received a straight red after the final whistle against Fiorentina.

As for Udinese, Gerard Deulofeu, Martin Payero, Sandi Lovric, Thomas Kristensen, and Alexis Sanchez are out for various physical issues. Runjaic can still call upon his lethal attacking duo, Florian Thauvin and Lorenzo Lucca.

Milan vs Udinese Potential Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia, Stahinja Pavlovic, Filippo Terracciano; Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, Rafael Leao; Tammy Abraham.

Udinese (3-5-2): Maduka Okoye; Christian Kabasele, Jaka Bijol, Lautaro Giannetti; Kinglsey Ehizibue, Oier Zarraga, Jesper Karlstrom, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Jordan Zemura; Florian Thauvin, Lorenzo Lucca.

Milan vs Udinese Prediction

Given what’s at stake for Fonseca, we can’t see Milan dropping points here. However, Udinese will likely give their more esteemed hosts a run for their money, leading us to believe a single-goal margin triumph for the home team could be in store.