AC MILAN v GENOA: MATCH PREVIEW

“Our work isn’t done.” We’re choosing this quote from Coach Pioli to introduce our first fixture of the final month of the campaign. Indeed, May is kicking off with AC Milan v Genoa, which represents a chance for the Rossoneri to put the last few games behind them and continue to honour the league and the 2023/24 season all the way. Here is our Match Preview as this evening’s 18:00 CEST kick-off draws nearer.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
April didn’t go as the Rossoneri wanted it to, and now the team want to start May with their first victory since 6 April. A win would be important: it would move the Diavolo closer to a second-place finish and, above all, secure AC Milan’s place in next season’s Supercoppa Italiana. Loftus-Cheek and Maignan won’t be available for the clash against the Rossoblù, which comes after last week’s draw with Juventus. They’ll be on the sidelines due to injury, and this also applies to Jović and Kjær. Meanwhile, Calabria and Musah are suspended. On the other hand, having served their suspensions, Hernández and Tomori will be at Stefano Pioli’s disposal. In his pre-match press conference, the Coach confirmed that Kalulu and Pobega will be in the matchday squad and that Chukwueze, Pulisic and Leão will support Giroud in attack.

“We want to produce the best performance possible and win to close in on a second-place finish,” said Stefano Pioli on the eve of the game. “Genoa know how to defend spaces well and work the ball, starting from the goalkeeper and defenders. It’ll be important to understand when to be aggressive or more compact. We’re focused on our last four matches and want to do well. We’ll then discuss the future once the season is over.”

LATEST FROM GENOA
It’s been an enjoyable week of work for the Rossoblù, who secured mathematical survival with a 3-0 victory over Cagliari last week. Notably, they’ve been very solid on their travels since the start of 2024, losing just once (2-1 against Inter) and holding Bologna, Fiorentina, Juventus and Napoli to draws. Albert Guðmundsson, a key figure for Genoa this season (14 goals in Serie A), is out, meaning one of Ekuban or Vitinha will partner Retegui up front. Otherwise, there are not many updates to report, with Genoa ready to line up in their usual 3-5-2 formation and Thorsby hoping to retain his place in midfield. Strootman, Vogliacco, Guðmundsson and Bani are all one booking away from suspension, although the latter two won’t be in the matchday squad.

“We’ll be up against a strong and talented side who are well coached by Stefano Pioli,” said Alberto Gilardino during his pre-match press conference. “AC Milan are second and, points-wise, are going at a similar pace to when they won the league. They possess a lot of quality and talent and are strong on set-pieces. We want to produce a big performance and try to restrict them, especially as they have individuals who can cause problems at any given moment.”

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• This evening’s game will be the 110th Serie A meeting between AC Milan and Genoa: the Rossoneri have 55 wins to their name compared to the Rossoblù’s 20, with 34 draws completing the picture. At San Siro, meanwhile, AC Milan are unbeaten in 29 of their last 31 fixtures against Genoa in the Italian top flight, keeping 18 clean sheets in the process.
• In 34 league matches this season, AC Milan have already equalled their 70-point tally from 2022/23. The Rossoneri are also the side to have scored the most goals through substitutes this campaign (15, a Club record in the three-points-per-win era). On the other hand, Genoa have conceded 15 such goals this season; only Salernitana (19) have done worse.
• Pioli’s men have scored the most goals from corners in Serie A this season (eleven, 17% of their goals). Meanwhile Gilardino’s team have made the most tackles (570) and interceptions (304) across the division in 2023/24. The Rossoblù are the only side yet to score in second-half stoppage time this campaign.
• The match-winner from the reverse fixture, Christian Pulisic, could become the first AC Milan midfielder since 2005/06 (Kaká, eleven) to score more than ten goals (excluding penalties) in a single Serie A season. Tonight’s meeting will see the player who has created the most clear goalscoring opportunities for his teammates (Leão, 17) come up against the player who has set up a teammate for a shot on the most occasions (Guðmundsson, 75) this campaign.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v GENOA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch AC Milan v Genoa in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, by clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 17:00 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. Also, not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, our official Social Media profiles and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Alessandro Prontera will be the referee for AC Milan v Genoa. The 37-year-old has taken charge of 31 Serie A matches, one of which was AC Milan v Hellas Verona on 16 October 2021 (his only previous game involving either the Rossoneri or Genoa). Mondin and Vivenzi will be the linesmen, while Ferrieri Caputi will perform the role of fourth official. Serra, assisted by La Penna, will oversee VAR.

Matchday 35 in Serie A kicked off with the goalless draw between Torino and Bologna on Friday night. After Monza 2-2 Lazio and Sassuolo 1-0 Inter on Saturday, Sunday has already begun with Cagliari v Lecce (12:30 CEST). In addition to that game and AC Milan v Genoa, the following games are all taking place today: Empoli v Frosinone (15:00 CEST), Hellas Verona v Fiorentina (15:00 CEST) and Roma v Juventus (20:45 CEST). Two fixtures will be played on Monday: Salernitana (18:00 CEST) and Udinese v Napoli (20:45 CEST).

This is the current Serie A table: Inter* 89; AC Milan 70; Juventus 65; Bologna* 64; Roma 59; Atalanta° 57; Lazio* 56; Fiorentina° and Napoli 50; Torino* 47; Monza* 45; Genoa 42; Lecce 36; Cagliari 32; Hellas Verona, Frosinone and Empoli 31; Udinese and Sassuolo* 29; Salernitana 15. (* = one more game played; ° = one game in hand).

The AC Milan PUMA Kits for 2023/24 are available: buy them now!