Following a thrilling comeback victory over tenacious Spezia, AC Milan travels to the Giovanni Zini Stadium on Tuesday to take on Cremonese in round 14 of Serie A.
The home team, on the other hand, is the only one that has yet to record a victory in the league this year and will enter the midweek game eager to change this dismal record.
Although it may be too soon to make a prediction, Cremonese are among the favourites to lose this season as they are currently ranked 18th in Serie A, one point ahead of the bottom-of-the-table Hellas Verona. Their lacklustre start to the season has been caused by problems on defence, where they currently have the second-worst record in the league with 24 goals allowed.
Massimiliano Alvini’s team put in a strong effort offensively, but their defensive shortcomings were once again brought to light as they drew 2-2 with Salernitana on Saturday at the Stadio Arechi.
The hosts took the lead in the first half thanks to goals from Krzysztof Piatek and Lassana Coulibaly, who scored either side of David Okereke’s 12th-minute equaliser. In the 89th minute, Daniel Ciofani converted a rebound from a missed penalty to force a tie.
Cremonese currently sit in 18th place in the standings, three points behind 17th-placed Spezia outside the relegation zone, with six draws and seven losses in their first 18 league games. They have six points overall.
Additionally, AC Milan secured their 2-1 victory over Spezia when the teams met at San Siro on Saturday, keeping them within striking distance of league leaders Napoli.
Theo Hernandez and an Olivier Giroud goal in the 89th minute gave the hosts a well-deserved victory after their 4-0 victory over Salzburg in Champions League on November 2. Prior to that, AC Milan’s streak of four straight league victories came to an end on October 30 when they lost 2-1 to Torino at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
The team led by Stefano Pioli, who broke an 11-year title drought last season, currently sits second in the standings with 29 points after 13 games, six points behind Napoli. The only loss came at the hands of Torino, and AC Milan are currently undefeated in five of their six away league matches this season, scooping up two draws as well as claiming three victories.
Cremonese Team News
After leaving the game against Udinese on October 30 due to injury, Matteo Bianchetti missed the weekend trip to Salernitana and is now out of the hosts’ lineup. The 27-year-old Cyriel Dessers, who has contributed to three goals this season, is listed next to him on the club’s injury list, and the Romanian teammates Vlad Chiriches and Ionut Radu are still out injured.
Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Aiwu, Hendry, Lochoshvili; Sernicola, Quagliata, Meite, Pickel; Buonaiuto, Tsadjout, David Okereke
AC Milan Team News
Since French striker Olivier Giroud will not be playing for AC Milan because he received a second booking after scoring the game-winning goal against Spezia on Saturday, Divock Origi will once again be expected to spearhead the attack.
Davide Calabria and Alessando Florenzi, two Italian players who are currently recovering from thigh and muscle injuries, won’t be available for Pioli to use. Alexis Saelemaekers and Zlatan Ibrahimovic continue to miss significant amounts of time due to knee injuries, and French goalkeeper Mike Maigan has ended up missing the last 10 games due to a calf injury that he sustained in September.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Tomori, Kjaer, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Rebic, Krunic, Leao; Divock Origi
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