AC MILAN v SALERNITANA: MATCH PREVIEW

San Siro is ready to welcome and cheer on Coach Pioli’s Rossoneri again. Following their successful qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals, AC Milan will be back in league action this evening. After their defeat in Florence last time out in Serie A, the Rossoneri are set to meet Paulo Sousa’s Salernitana on matchday 26. A tricky encounter awaits against a side that, despite being in a battle to avoid the drop, have done well recently. As tonight’s 20:45 CET kick-off approaches, we present you with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Putting the Champions League to the back of their minds and returning to winning ways in the league: this is what the Rossoneri need to do on Monday night in Serie A. Compared to the clash at the Arechi in Salerno at the start of 2023, when the Diavolo ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Leão and Tonali, a different game awaits. Having encountered some difficulties, Pioli’s men changed their tactical setup, and the same applies to tonight’s visitors. So far, it’s paid off for the Rossoneri, particularly defensively: the team have kept five clean sheets in their last six games in all competitions, rediscovering their enthusiasm in the process. Also positive is the fact that Leão and Krunić are no longer suspended, although Calabria, Giroud, Kjær and Rebić are all one booking away from missing AC Milan’s next match. Between league and cup football, the Rossoneri have expended a lot of energy recently, which is why Coach Pioli is considering making changes to his starting line-up. Messias was forced off during the match in London, with both Calabria and Saelemaekers in contention to replace him. Messias picked up an injury in London and will be replaced by either Calabria and Saelemaekers, while Kjær will fight for a spot with Tomori in the centre of defence. Bennacer is also a candidate for a place in the midfield duo, along with Tonali and Krunić. Some potential surprise selections? Giroud is favourite to start, but Origi and Ibrahimović are also in the mix, while De Ketelaere is expected to replace Díaz.

“We need to see the very best of AC Milan tomorrow because it’s an important game,” said Coach Pioli in his pre-match press conference. “We know that we need to focus on the league with real focus and determination. Salernitana use a similar formation to Tottenham, and we’ll be up against a team who are quick on the counter and solid in defence.”

LATEST FROM SALERNITANA
Four points in the last two games have lifted spirits in the Granata camp after a poor run of results. Salernitana’s comfortable 3-0 win over Monza and 0-0 draw away to Sampdoria saw them rediscover a bit of defensive solidity after previously conceding in all of their games in 2023. Compared to the game in Salerno (a 2-1 Rossoneri victory) at the start of January, the Granata have changed their formation and coach. Setting aside the defeat to Lazio in his opening game in charge, Paolo Sousa, who replaced Davide Nicola ahead of matchday 23, seems to have given a boost to the team, who now sit 16th. In further good news for the team from Salerno, Mazzocchi and Dia were able to get minutes under their belts in Genoa. They don’t have any suspensions (Bradarić, Piątek and Vilhena are, however, all one booking away from having to skip the next match), and Fazio and Troost-Ekong will be their only absentees for the showdown at San Siro. In Sousa’s 3-4-2-1 formation, Daniliuc, Gyömbér and Pirola will play in front of Ochoa. Compared to their last outing, Mazzocchi should start down the right, while Dia is likely to start alongside Candreva behind former Rossoneri man Piątek.

“We’ll need everyone tomorrow because we’ll be up against a side with great champions,” said Paulo Sousa on the eve of the game. “AC Milan possess real quality, and we’ll need to be compact and read the spaces well. In addition to interpreting the moments of the match correctly, we’ll have to take up positions that ensure that we have enough cover. There will be a need to make the most of the spaces to cause problems for our opponents. I strongly believe that we can compete against strong sides and pick up big results.”

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v SALERNITANA
In Italy, the game will be broadcast live on DAZN and Sky from 20.45 CET. To watch the game abroad, head to the "Abroad" section of the page "Where to watch AC Milan on TV".

Before the game, head to Milan TV for our Matchday programme. Coverage starts at 19:30 CET and will run right up to kick off at San Siro. After the game, we will have analysis, interviews and Stefano Pioli's press conference.

Head to our Twitch channel for the Live Reaction to AC Milan v Salernitana, starting at 20:40 CET, with Francesco Specchia, Lollo and more. Also, don't miss our live feeds on all of our social media channels, on acmilan.com and via our Official App.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Federico La Penna will take charge of AC Milan v Salernitana, his 54th match in the Italian top flight. The 39-year-old is set to officiate his first game involving the Rossoneri this season, although he’s refereed four previous Diavolo matches. He last did so when AC Milan beat Bologna 2-0 in September 2020. La Penna will be assisted by Zingarelli and Di Monte, with Perenzoni performing the role of fourth official. Banti, assisted by Guida, will oversee VAR.

Spezia 2-1 Inter opened the latest round of fixtures in Serie A. Matchday 26 continued with Empoli 0-1 Udinese, Napoli 2-0 Atalanta and Bologna 0-0 Lazio on Saturday, while there were then five games on Sunday: Lecce 0-2 Torino, Cremonese 0-2 Fiorentina, Hellas Verona 1-1 Monza, Roma 3-4 Sassuolo and Juventus 4-2 Sampdoria. AC Milan v Salernitana will finish things off on Monday.

The current standings in the Serie A: Napoli 68; Inter 50; Lazio 49; Roma, Milan* 47; Atalanta 42; Juventus 38; Torino 37; Bologna 36; Udinese 35; Fiorentina 34; Monza, Sassuolo 33; Empoli 28; Lecce 27; Salernitana* 25; Spezia 24; Hellas Verona 17; Sampdoria, Cremonese 12. (* = una partita in meno)

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