AC MILAN v FIORENTINA: MATCH PREVIEW

The time has come to react. San Siro is ready to get behind the Rossoneri against Fiorentina, a showdown that will usher in the final part of 2023 after the third international break of the season. AC Milan haven’t won in four matches in the league, and Saturday evening’s clash represents the chance to end that run. Even though a few players are missing, the team are determined to bounce back and very much aware that there are still plenty of objectives worth achieving. Here is our Match Preview, providing you with everything you need to know as tonight’s game draws nearer.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Fewer Rossoneri headed off on international duty compared to previous months, which allowed several players to remain at Milanello to try and get back into the best possible condition. This was the case for Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek, who missed the team’s trip to Lecce but are back available for the game against Fiorentina. As a precaution, Chukwueze didn’t join up with the Nigeria squad and, as a result, has trained with his AC Milan teammates for the past two weeks, meaning he’ll also be at Coach Pioli’s disposal. In defence, Davide Calabria has recovered after coming off at half-time at the Via del Mare, but Simon Kjær remains out. Kalulu and Pellegrino are long-term absentees. At the other end of the pitch, the Rossoneri are struggling for numbers in attack: Leão and Okafor are injured, while Giroud is suspended for two matches. Therefore, 2008-born Primavera striker Francesco Camarda could be part of the first-team squad for the first time. A single player is one booking away from suspension: Yunus Musah. 

Coach Pioli’s comments during his pre-match press conference: “Words are meaningless and facts do the talking. We have to perform at a high level for 90 minutes and show that we’re a competitive side. Fiorentina have always caused us problems. They play attacking football, get a lot of men forward and are certainly a difficult side to face."

LATEST FROM FIORENTINA
Vincenzo Italiano’s sides - first Spezia and now Fiorentina - have always caused problems for AC Milan, who will therefore have to be very attentive against the Viola. The Tuscans will arrive at San Siro with just a few absentees, although Italiano won’t have many options in defence due to Ranieri’s suspension. Castrovilli and Dodô have long-term injuries, while the youngster Kayode is also out. Biraghi (on the left) and Parisi (on the right) are likely to be the starting full-backs, with Martínez Quarta and Milenković forming the centre-back pairing. In attack, Nzola and Beltran are competing for a place in the line-up, while Bonaventura and González are certainties to start behind the lone striker. Bonaventura is the only player walking the suspension tightrope for a Fiorentina side who returned to winning ways against Bologna after three consecutive league defeats against Empoli, Lazio and Juventus.

Italiano’s thoughts ahead of the clash: “A difficult game awaits. We’ve worked with enthusiasm and intensity in the past 15 days without our internationals, and, as always, we want to perform well. AC Milan are a strong side who know how to react when they encounter difficulties. It’s an important test where we can show our growth and maturity, and we’re fired up.”

PRE-MATCH STATS

• AC Milan have won 76 of their 166 Serie A matches against Fiorentina (D44, L46); Juventus (81) are the only team to have beaten the Viola on more occasions, while Roma (79) are the only side the Rossoneri have recorded more victories over.
• AC Milan have scored in nine consecutive matches against Fiorentina in Serie A; only once have the Rossoneri gone on a longer scoring streak against the Viola in the Italian top flight: ten games between 1947 and 1951.
• AC Milan and Fiorentina are the two teams who have scored the most first-half goals this Serie A season: 13 each. The Viola have been the most prolific side in the opening 15 minutes of play (five goals), while the Rossoneri have found the net seven times in the 15-minute period preceding half-time - more than any other team.  
• Stefano Pioli is unbeaten in eleven of his 19 matches as a coach against Fiorentina in Serie A (W10, D1), winning four of the last six (L2).

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v FIORENTINA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN and Sky Sport. To watch AC Milan v Fiorentina in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 19:45 CET and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. From 20.40 CET, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also, not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Marco Di Bello will take charge of the match. He’s refereed 154 Serie A fixtures and encountered the Rossoneri 16 times (ten wins, two draws and four defeats). Curiously, his most recent game involving the Diavolo was Fiorentina 2-1 AC Milan on 4 March 2023. Dei Giudici and Margani will be his assistants, while Rapuano will perform the role of fourth official. Mazzoleni, assisted by Pagnotta, will oversee VAR.

Matchday 13 in Serie A kicks off today - Saturday 25 November - with Salernitana v Lazio at 15:00 CET, after which Atalanta v Napoli (18:00 CET) and AC Milan v Fiorentina (20:45 CET) will be played. The following games are scheduled for Sunday: Cagliari v Monza (12:30 CET), Empoli v Sassuolo (15:00 CET), Frosinone v Genoa (15:00 CET), Roma v Udinese (18:00 CET) and Juventus v Inter (20:45 CET). The final two matches - Hellas Verona v Lecce (18:30 CET) and Bologna v Torino (20:45 CET) - will take place on Monday.

This is the current league table: Inter 31; Juventus 29; AC Milan 23; Napoli 21; Atalanta and Fiorentina 20; Bologna and Roma 18; Lazio and Monza 17; Torino 16; Frosinone 15; Genoa and Lecce 14; Sassuolo 12; Udinese 11; Empoli 10; Cagliari 9; Hellas Verona 8; Salernitana 5. 

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