AC Milan will return to Serie A action this Saturday when they welcome struggling Salernitana to the San Siro.
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro)
Key Statistics
AC Milan are winless in their last three home games (D2, L1).
The hosts have kept just one clean sheet at the San Siro in their last six games.
Overall, Pioli’s side have scored 33 goals in the league this season (the second-highest goals scored) and have conceded 18 (the most for teams currently within the top five).
Junior Messias has scored three goals in his last three competitive matches for Milan.
Salernitana have scored the least number of goals in the league this season – eleven goals.
Only Spezia (34) have conceded more goals than they have so far (31).
The visitors have won just once in their last eight games.
Head to head
Both teams have only met twice in the past and AC Milan won those two games by an aggregate scoreline of 5-3.
Latest Performances in all competitions
AC Milan: W-L-W-L-D
Salernitana; L-D-L-L-L
AC Milan
After a run of four league games without victory, AC Milan got back to winning on Wednesday with a 3-0 win at Genoa. Goals from Junior Messias and the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed the win for Milan and moved them within one point of Napoli at the Serie A summit.
With the distance between them at the top now very marginal, Rossoneri will look to build on that win and keep themselves within touching distance of the top.
With crucial games against Liverpool and Napoli to come in the next week, coach Stefano Pioli will hope that his side have put their inconsistencies behind them.
However, the hosts who have conceded 16 goals in their previous nine Serie A games – including seven in defeats to Fiorentina and Sassuolo.
But against the bottom-placed Salernitana, Pioli’s side will fancy their chances of keeping a clean sheet and sealing a sixth win from eight on home soil.
Possible AC Milan starting line-ups
Mike Maignon; Pierre Kalulu, Alessio Romagnoli, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Franck Kessie; Junior Messias, Brahim Diaz, Rade Krunic; Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Injured: Simon Kjaer, Ismael Bennacer, Davide Calabria, Ante Rebic, Samu Castillejo, Olivier Giroud, Alessandro Plizzari
Suspended: None
Salernitana
Serie A newbies Salernitana recorded their sixth loss from eight home matches in Serie A this season when they lost 2-0 to Juventus in midweek.
The loss extended their winless run to five games in all competitions and keeps them rooted to the foot of the table.
With the halfway stage of the season quickly approaching, the visitors are in danger of dropping straight back to Serie B unless they can turn around their woeful form that has yielded just eight points so far.
But with an average of 0-7 scored per game and a rate of over two goals conceded per game this season, the Granata have an impossible task to win against one of the biggest sides in Italy.
Possible Salernitana starting line-ups
Vid Belec; Frédéric Veseli, Norbert Gyömbér, Riccardo Gagliolo, Luca Ranieri; Wajdi Kechrida, Leonardo Capezzi, Lassana Coulibaly, Nadir Zortea; Federico Bonazzoli, Simy Nwankwo.
Injured: Matteo Ruggeri, Antonio Russo, Mamadou Coulibaly, Franck Ribery, Cedric Gondo
Doubtful: Stefan Strandberg
Suspended: None
Prediction
AC Milan 3-0 Salernitana
