Massimiliano Allegri gets his second stint as Milan manager underway on Saturday as Cremonese arrive at San Siro on the opening Serie A weekend. Expectations have cooled following a disastrous 2024/25 as the Rossoneri seek a return to European football.

Despite a raft of big-name signings, Milan slumped to an embarrassing eighth-place finish in 2024/25. Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao failed to live up to expectations. Despite leading the club to Supercoppa Italiana glory in his first two games in charge, the latter left Italy after the end of the season.

Reluctant to take more risks, Milan have turned to a familiar face to find a way out of trouble. Allegri returns to San Siro 11 years after departing to take over the reins at Juventus, hoping his second spell with the Rossoneri won’t mirror the struggles of his ill-fated second stint in Turin. However, it’s been a turbulent summer for the seven-time European champions.

Cremonese’s visit could offer Milan the perfect chance for a winning start. Back in Serie A two years after suffering relegation, the visitors will focus solely on securing survival. They couldn’t avoid the drop in their only previous top-flight campaign in the 21st century and will hope to do better this time around.

Based on their pre-season and an early Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Palermo, that task seems nothing short of Herculean. Davide Nicola’s appointment as the new head coach confirms the club’s ambition to fight for survival, considering the Italian tactician’s reputation as a specialist in steering struggling teams away from relegation.

Match Preview

Milan

After claiming four consecutive top-four placings, Milan hit rock bottom last season, enduring their lowest Serie A finish in a decade. A season without European football has cost the Rossoneri dearly during the summer. Standout performer Tijjani Reijnders and long-serving stalwart Theo Hernandez left the club at the start of the transfer window.

However, Allegri’s men have been quite active on the incoming front, with Ardon Jashari, Luka Modric, Samuele Ricci, Pervis Estupinan, and Victor Boniface joining the club. Yet, this curtain-raising fixture against Cremonese, the side they failed to beat in both league meetings in 2022/23 (D2), will come too soon for the Nigerian striker.

Strongly fancied to take three points, Milan can draw confidence from never losing a Serie A match against La Cremo at San Siro (W7, D1). Indeed, the Rossoneri have historically dominated this match-up in the top flight, losing just twice in 16 encounters against their Lombard rivals (W10, D4).

Cremonese

It took Cremonese a nerve-wracking win in the promotion playoff against Spezia to join Serie A for the sixth time. Forced to operate on a tight budget, Nicola’s charges have had a relatively quiet transfer window. As a result, they head into the 2025/26 campaign as one of the hottest relegation candidates.

An uninspiring start seems like a virtual certainty. Indeed, Cremonese have ominously lost all eight previous Serie A opening-day clashes, with each game coming away from home. Perhaps the arrival of ex-Torino forward Antonio Sanabria could help turn their fortunes around, though they still have to beat the odds at San Siro.

The likes of Warren Bondo and Filippo Terracciano could be of help as they’ve both joined Cremonese on loan from Milan. Despite their underdog tag, Cremonese could make this contest exciting, especially considering eight of their last nine away league matches have seen both teams on the scoresheet.

Team News

Milan could field as many as three new midfielders from the start. Jashari, Ricci, and Modric could play together from the first minute at the expense of Youssouf Fofana and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. However, Allegri cannot count on star forward Rafael Leao, who picked up an injury during a 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Bari. Santiago Gimenez will likely take his place.

As for Cremonese, Bondo and Terracciano may line up against their parent club, with Manuel De Luca set to lead the line as Sanabria lacks match fitness. Last season’s headline performer, Jari Vandeputte, will probably be the visitors’ best chance of finding the net, knowing that only Mohamed Salah boasts more assists than Vandeputte’s 28 since the start of 2023/24.

Milan vs Cremonese Starting Line-ups

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Jashari, Ricci, Modric, Estupinan; Pulisic, Gimenez.

Cremonese (3-5-2): Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Zerbin, Grassi, Bondo, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, De Luca.

Milan vs Cremonese Prediction

Nicola’s sides never go down without a fight, but this is not a fair contest on paper. Though we expect Cremonese to put up resistance on their top-flight return, Milan should stroll to all three points in their first Serie A game under Allegri since 2014.

Prediction: Milan to Win