AC Milan take to the field against Salernitana on Monday, recognising the upshot of a positive result at San Siro in their top-four battle in Serie A.
The Rossoneri lost their last league game at Fiorentina, suffering a 2-1 reverse in Florence, while the side from Salerno played out a goalless encounter with cellar-dwelling Sampdoria.
Match preview
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Stefano Pioli's side may have advanced to the quarter-final of the Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, but they face a daunting tussle to return to the competition next season.
A five-way joust for the remaining three top-four spots in the competition sees Milan face off with Inter Milan, Lazio, Roma and Atalanta, despite the latter's inability to score goals in recent gameweeks.
The Rossoneri are guaranteed to end round 26 five points ahead of the Bergamaschi, following La Dea's 2-0 loss at table-topping Napoli on Saturday.
That said, Pioli's men will hope to return to winning ways after last week's defeat by mid-table Fiorentina, a result that came on the back of a three-game winning sequence.
Rafael Leao was not involved against the Viola last time out, serving a suspension for picking up a yellow card in the 2-0 triumph over Atalanta on February 26, so his return gives the hosts the necessary firepower in the attacking third against the 16th-placed visitors.
Having won their last two home games without conceding a goal, a repeat of recent results at San Siro will see Milan move level on 50 points with Inter, who Spezia beat for the first time in the competition on Friday.
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Standing in their way are Salernitana, who have some separation from the bottom three, despite last week's result against a Sampdoria side expected to end bottom in Serie A this season.
Paulo Sousa's men edged the game for quality chances, but this was not by a significant margin, thus resulting in the goalless outcome against Samp.
The Portuguese manager has already helped the Granata to four points in his three games in charge, as many points managed in the opening seven games of 2023 preceding Davide Nicola's eventual departure.
Seven points separate the 16th-placed side from Hellas Verona in 18th, suggesting there is no immediate threat of relegation, even if this could change if Verona get the better of Monza on Sunday and the club from Salerno lose at Milan.
That eventuality potentially cranks the pressure on Sousa's men, with 12 games to go after the ongoing gameweek concludes.
Salernitana's away record gives little reason for optimism, owing to a run that has seen them lose six of their nine games on the road in the competition since the start of October.
Against a seemingly resurgent Milan, who have overcome a tough start to the New Year, the Salerno outfit may struggle to get any positive result at the home of the Champions League qualification contenders.
Team News
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Some reports in Italy suggest Zlatan Ibrahimovic could make his first Milan start of the season on Monday, even though Pioli is expected to opt for Divock Origi if Olivier Giroud is given a breather.
Junior Messias is out with a thigh injury suffered against Tottenham Hotspur, with Davide Calabria likely to deputise at right wing-back.
After only coming on in the game's final minutes at Tottenham, Ismael Bennacer is expected to return to central midfield to play in tandem with Sandro Tonali.
William Troost-Ekong suffered a knee injury in mid-February, and the Salernitana centre-back is out of Monday's visit to San Siro.
After recovering from knee surgery, Pasquale Mazzocchi could make his first start since mid-November after two appearances off the bench.
Krzysztof Piatek faces his former club seeking to prove a point at his former stomping ground, even though he goes into the game without a Serie A strike since November 5.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Thiaw; Calabria, Bennacer, Tonali, Hernandez; De Ketelaere, Leao; Origi
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Crnigoj, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Kastanos, Candreva; Piatek
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana
Milan have claimed three straight wins at home in all competitions without conceding a goal and are likely to get another routine win over Salernitana, having had an extra day to recuperate following midweek exertions in Europe.
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