Deafening silence. Milan-Genoa it is the match valid for the thirty-fifth matchday of Serie A, scheduled today at 6 pm in a San Siro that promises to never be so cold for years. It won’t be the Milanese climate, but rather the lack of cheering that creates this atmosphere. A strike induced by the Curva Sud and the Italian Milan Clubs Association as a sign of protest towards unappreciated corporate policies (rumors about Lopetegui).
It will also be the second overall challenge between Stefano Pegs and Alberto Gilardino, as well as the former striker’s second match against his former club. The current rossoblù coach was coached by the rossonero coach in the distant 2012/13 season at Bologna: a year of 13 goals for him. Let’s now analyze the moment of the two teams.
The form of the two teams: Milan
27 wins, 9 draws, 12 defeats: these are the results of the Rossoneri this season. It is not a positive period for the team coached by Stefano Pioli, fresh from five consecutive games without a win in all competitions. The Devil is looking for answers and above all the 3 points that would guarantee mathematical qualification for the Italian Super Cup next year.
There are 6 of them unavailable for the Meazza match: in addition to the injured players, Calabria and Musah (suspended) are added. Pay attention to Gabbia’s warning: the defender risks missing the match against Cagliari.
As for the training, the Emilian coach has already announced the use of the offensive trident behind Giroud: Chukwueze-Pulisic-Leao. The only doubt in defense: Gabbia and Thiaw are competing for a starting shirt next to Tomori, the Italian seems to be the favourite.
| Unavailable | Kjaer (flexor problem), Loftus-Cheek (low-grade injury to the right hamstring muscle), Maignan (low-grade injury to the right adductor longus), Mirante |
| Disqualified | Calabria, Musah |
| Be wary | Cage, Pioli |
The form of the two teams: Genoa
12 wins, 12 draws, 13 defeats: this is the rossoblù’s roadmap with 4 games to go until the end of the season. As remarked by Pioli in the press conference, Gilardino’s team is the best newly promoted team in the top 5 of the major European leagues. An important achievement, the result of great work by the club and the coach. The feeling of revenge prevails in Genoa after the 0-1 in the first leg and the protests after the match.
There are three of them unavailable for the Grifone: these are Bani, Malinovskyi and the former Rossoneri player Messias. 3 of them risk missing the home match against Sassuolo next weekend.
The Piedmontese coach has a doubt training in attack because Gudmundsson is recovering from the flu that hit him during the week and may not be at risk from the 1st minute: Ekuban warms up to accompany Retegui. Everything else is clear, with the Frendrup-Badelj-Thorsby trio in midfield.
| Unavailable | Bani (muscle problem), Malinovskyi (hamstring injury of the left thigh), Messias (muscle problem) |
| Disqualified | – |
| Be wary | Bani, Gudmundsson, Strootman, Vogliacco |
Statistics and precedents of Milan-Genoa
- There are 109 precedents between Milan and Genoa in Serie A: the balance is 55 Rossoneri victories, 34 draws and 20 Rossoblù successes;
- Milan have won all the last 4 matches against Genoa in Serie A and in their history in the competition they have only beaten Grifone several times in a row: 7, between 1959 and 1963;
- Milan have won in 8 of the last 10 Serie A matches against Genoa (1 draw, 1 defeat), including all the last four in order of time: in the period they have scored at least 2 goals 7 times;
- Genoa have not found the net in the last 3 matches against Milan in Serie A and could equal their longest streak without scoring against the Devil in the competition: 4 matches in a row, recorded both in the period 1965-1974 and 2011-2013;
- Considering all competitions, Milan have not won any of their last 5 matches (2 draws, 3 defeats) and under Stefano Pioli’s management they have only once recorded a longer streak without success: 7 official matches between January and February 2023 (2 draws , 5 defeats);
- Milan have lost their last 2 home games in all competitions (against Roma and Inter) and have not achieved 3 defeats in a row at home in the league and cups since the period between February and March 2014 (against Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Parma), under the leadership of Clarence Seedorf;
- Genoa won in the last round of Serie A (3-0 against Cagliari) and in this championship they have only achieved 2 successes in a row once (against Salernitana and Lecce in January): to find 2 clean sheets in a row in the competition, instead, we need to go back to the period between February and March 2022 (series of 4);
- Genoa have lost only one of their last 9 away games in Serie A (3 wins, 5 draws), although the only away defeat in this part came at San Siro, against Inter (1-2, 4 March 2024 );
- On the one hand, Genoa is the team that has scored the fewest goals from crosses (only 3), on the other hand, Milan is the team that has conceded the fewest goals from these game situations (2) in this Serie A;
- This match will involve the player who has created the most clear scoring opportunities for his teammates (Rafael Leao, 17) and the one who has sent a teammate shooting from dead ball situations the most times (Albert Gudmundsson, 47) in this championship.
Probable AC Milan-Genoa lineups
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Door; Florenzi, Gabbia, Tomori, Theo Hernandez (c); Bennacer, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Giroud. (Available: Nava, Raveyre; Terracciano, Kalulu, Thiaw, Simic, Bartesaghi; Adli, Pobega, Zeroli; Jovic, Okafor) Coach Stefano Pioli.
GENOA (3-5-2): Martinez; Vogliacco, De Winter, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Badelj, Thorsby, Martin; Gudmundsson, Retegui. (Available: Leali, Sommariva; Citizens, Spence, Haps, Matturro; Bohinen, Kuavita, Strootman; Ankeye, Vitinha, Ekuban) Coach Alberto Gilardino.
The key men of MilanPress
Milan’s key man: Christian Pulisic
Genoa’s key man: Mateo Retegui
Where to follow Milan-Genoa
Match: Milan-Genoa
Date: May 5, 2024
Hours: 18.00
Referee: Alessandro Prontera
Assistants: Mauro Vivenzi, Luca Mondin
Fourth man: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi
VAR and AVAR: Marco Serra, Federico La Penna
Channel: DAZN
Live text: MilanPress Twitter account or milanpress.it
