Serie A | Gameweek 14

Nov 30, 2024 at 5pm UK

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

AC Milanvs.Empoli

Match preview

Milan posted their third straight Champions League success on Tuesday evening, edging past Slovan Bratislava with goals from Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Rafael Leao. The 3-2 victory was a bit unconvincing, but it's a win nonetheless.

After a slow start, the Rossoneri recovered by beating Club Brugge and the reigning champions, Real Madrid. They're now five points clear of the elimination zone and in a playoff spot with three league games left.

But on the home front, Paulo Fonseca's team have only managed to get 19 points in Serie A. Last Saturday's 0-0 home draw with Juventus was pretty dull. They only had one shot on target.

Just before the international break, they were two goals up in Cagliari but had to settle for a draw in a six-goal thriller. That's part of a wider picture of instability. Milan have been alternating between conceding at least one goal and then keeping a clean sheet throughout their last 10 league matches.

It looks like the only chance they have of winning anything this season is in the knockout competitions. They have to make up a 10-point deficit to first-placed Napoli, and there are five other teams in the way.

They haven't scored in their last two Serie A games at San Siro, so they could go three without a home win for the first time since 2021. They could also go three without scoring for the first time in seven years. So Fonseca can't afford to slip up.

While Empoli have lost six of their last seven league meetings with Milan, they've managed to win the last three at San Siro.

Given how far into the season we are now, Empoli are doing surprisingly well, just three points behind their rivals, even though they've played an extra match. They've proved to be particularly tough to beat.

They played Udinese on Monday evening and drew 1-1. Resurgent striker Pietro Pellegri scored his third goal in as many appearances, and they've only lost three times across all competitions this season.

Roberto D'Aversa's squad is currently sitting in 10th place in the table, exceeding expectations after scraping their way to safety under Davide Nicola's management last spring.

The Tuscan club can also look forward to next week's Coppa Italia clash against local rivals Fiorentina, when a quarter-final place will be at stake. But first, they must tackle the might of Milan at San Siro.

Recent Performance

AC Milan Serie A form:LWLWDD

AC Milan form (all competitions):LWWDDW

Empoli Serie A form:LDLWDD

Team News

Milan will have almost all of their squad available on Saturday evening, with only long-term absentees Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi joining Luka Jovic on the sidelines.

Álvaro Morata is back in action after serving a UEFA suspension, and he'll be competing with teenage star Francesco Camarda and Tammy Abraham for the lone striker's role.

Morata is the favourite, but Abraham scored in midweek and has more Serie A goals against Empoli than anyone else (four). The Roma loanee is now looking to score in consecutive league games for the first time since March 2022.

Meanwhile, former Milan forward Pietro Pellegri is likely to start for Empoli, as he's on a roll at the moment. The striker, who has been plagued by injuries, has scored three goals in his last three matches, which is as many as he managed across the past two seasons with Torino.

The Azzurri are doing well despite having a lot of players out, and Roberto D'Aversa will still be missing several men this weekend: Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi, Saba Sazonov and Jacopo Fazzini are all out of action, while Swiss midfielder Nicolas Haas recently suffered a serious knee injury.

Devis Vazquez and Lorenzo Colombo, who are both owned by Milan, are both set to start against their parent club. They'll be playing in goal and up front, respectively.

Possible starting lineup

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata

Empoli possible starting lineup:

Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Anjorin, Henderson, Maleh, Pezzella; Colombo, Pellegri