AC Milan return to home comfort following a setback of sorts against Juventus as they face a Fiorentina side eager to get going this season.

The opening weekend loss to newly promoted Cremonese did bring back some bad memories of previous managers, but since then, Massimiliano Allegri has made his mark. The former Juventus boss has instilled his defensive resilience in this squad, which has seen AC Milan keep four clean sheets from their opening six games of the Serie A season, plus an additional two in two Coppa Italia matches ahead of the clash with Fiorentina.

After the opening weekend loss, AC Milan went on a four-game winning streak until Juventus put the brakes on their momentum. Before the international break, the Rossoneri and Allegri would have felt unfortunate not to have walked out of Turin with all three points in their goalless draw, as Christian Pulisic missed a crucial penalty in the clash.

The Rossoneri also lost the momentum created in the games before that draw, as they could have easily been level with Napoli and Roma at the top. For now, AC Milan are third on the table, a point above rivals Inter Milan, as Allegri will want to at least stay where they are after the meeting with Fiorentina at the San Siro.

The upcoming game also represents a return for Stefano Pioli to San Siro, and the former AC Milan boss is already under severe pressure at Fiorentina following a disastrous start to the season at Fiorentina. Having left Al-Nassr in the summer, Pioli made his return to Florence, where he had a previous stint, and has steered the side to their worst start to a season since 1977.

Not only have Fiorentina failed to win any of their opening six games, but they have also dropped eight points from winning positions. The latest of that came against second-placed AS Roma before the international break, as Moise Kean gave the Viola the lead, only for them to concede twice and lose.

Not only are Fiorentina desperate to get their first win on board, but they are also dangerously close to the relegation zone, as only goal difference has kept them out of the bottom three ahead of the clash with AC Milan. Hence, this return to San Siro for Pioli could be a pivotal moment for his immediate Fiorentina future, as the pressure could mount on the 59-year-old if the team does not end their winless run.

Team News & Tactics

AC Milan

The international break was not kind to AC Milan, as there are numerous key issues ahead of the game against Fiorentina for Massimiliano Allegri. For starters, France forward Christopher Nkunku is a significant doubt for this clash following a minor foot injury sustained on international duty.

Even if he does turn up fit, there is a chance he will only feature on the bench. Christian Pulisic is also set to miss out with a thigh problem picked up while playing for the USA, while Adrien Rabiot and Ardon Jashari are absent with calf problems.

Allegri also faces issues in his key wing-back positions, as Alexis Saelemaekers and Pervis Estupinan face late fitness tests to determine their availability ahead of Sunday. Rafael Leao could be selected to partner up with Santiago Gimenez in the front two for AC Milan against Fiorentina, as Allegri will tinker with the selections in the other areas of the lineup.

While Saelemaekers’s fitness is likely to shoehorn him into the starting lineup, the left wing-back role could see Davide Bartesaghi come in for Estupinan. Veteran Luka Modric will be a mainstay in the midfield setting alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Youssouf Fofana on either side of the Croatian playmaker.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Loftus-Cheek, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Leao

Fiorentina

Stefano Pioli has to deal with some problems with his squad, and more importantly, with key striker Moise Kean. The Italian international suffered a sprained ankle, so it remains to be seen whether Fiorentina’s star striker can turn up fit for the visit to San Siro to take on AC Milan.

Should that happen, then Bosnian veteran Edin Dzeko will be a fixture on the bench more than anything. The bigger issue for Pioli is getting a rhythm out of his forwards, as four of his attackers have not found the net between them in six outings so far.

Tariq Lamptey, Antonin Barak, and Christian Kouame are out of contention, with the latter set to stay sidelined for the long-term future with an ACL injury. As far as the setup is concerned, Pioli also prefers a back three, but the other settings are slightly different from his counterpart at San Siro.

Nicolo Fagioli and Simon Sohm will control the midfield, with Dodo and Robin Gosens preferred in the wing-back roles. If Kean is fit, he will lead the line for Fiorentina against AC Milan, with Cher Ndour and Albert Gudmundsson on either side of the Italian international striker.

Probable Lineup (3-4-3): de Gea; Ranieri, Pongracic, Comuzzo; Dodo, Fagioli, Sohm, Gosens; Ndour, Kean, Gudmundsson

Key Stats

• AC Milan have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven matches in Serie A.
• The last time AC Milan went six games without a defeat was in early 2024, under Pioli.
• Fiorentina have failed to win their last six matches in Serie A.
• Fiorentina have dropped eight points from winning positions this season.

Player to Watch

Moise Kean

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Even a half-fit Kean is probably someone Stefano Pioli would want on his side in place of the other ineffective forward players. The Italian international has found the back of the net more times for his national side this season than for Fiorentina, as the manager will hope to change that equation.

The fact that the sixth-best team from last season are thoroughly struggling and without a win this season is baffling. Hence, for Fiorentina to break their bad luck and get even something from this visit to San Siro, Kean will be their most important player on the pitch, even though there are doubts over his participation.

Prediction

AC Milan 2-1 Fiorentina

Fiorentina could rue their bad luck this season to several factors, but more importantly, to the change at the helm, which has not worked out so far for numerous reasons ahead of the game against Fiorentina. With the fact that they are playing yet another team in the top four without getting their house in order so far, it could have fresh consequences for the team and the manager.

Massimiliano Allegri, on the other hand, is busy solidifying his team into genuine title contenders, and so far, the reflection of his ideas have been good. With a solid, unbeaten run in the bag currently, AC Milan are the favourites to get three points on home soil against a struggling Fiorentina side, who still hold the tendency to score an odd goal at some stage.