Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Serie A clash between AC Milan and Salernitana, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Already confirmed as Serie A runners-up going into the final day of the season, AC Milan are set to close the Stefano Pioli era after Saturday’s game against relegated Salernitana.
Two years after winning the title, Pioli is set to say farewell to San Siro, where the visitors will bid goodbye to the Italian top flight.
Match preview
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Beaten 3-1 by mid-table Torino in the last away game of their 2023-24 campaign, Milan’s late-season dip seems to have cemented the board’s belief that their head coach must be replaced ahead of a potentially busy summer.
Stefano Pioli claimed the Scudetto in 2022, and his team went all the way to last year’s Champions League semi-finals, but the end is now nigh and likely replacement Paulo Fonseca waits in the wings.
With city rivals Inter Milan 19 points clear heading into the final day, and second place long since wrapped up, the Rossoneri have nothing other than pride to play for this weekend.
After previously winning five straight league games, Milan have faltered badly of late, posting just one success from their last six and conceding a hatful of goals in the process.
Nonetheless, Pioli can depart with his head held high, having beaten luminaries such as Arrigo Sacchi, Fabio Capello and Carlo Ancelotti to record the second-best win rate (59%) of any manager in the club’s long Serie A history.
Having lost only one of nine prior meetings with Salernitana in the top flight, Milan’s squad will now try to give their boss a fitting send-off by extending a club-record streak of six straight final-day wins, dating back to 2018.
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While San Siro is one of Calcio’s great stages, it has proved an unpopular venue with this week’s visitors, as Salernitana are yet to win a Serie A fixture there – against either Milan or Inter – in nine previous attempts.
The Campanian club now sign off a chaotic campaign, surely hoping rather than expecting to taste victory in their last top-level match for at least one more year.
After ex-Milan striker Pippo Inzaghi was sacked in mid-season, the brief reign of Fabio Liverani was soon brought to an end, so current coach Stefano Colantuono will skipper the ship as it sinks down to Serie B.
In the spring of 2022, Salernitana secured 18 points from their last 15 matches to defy the drop in miraculous fashion, before edging towards survival again this time last year; however, their luck has now run out.
After Monday’s 2-1 home defeat to Hellas Verona, the Granata have lost 25 games and could ultimately finish as many as 21 points adrift of safety if they fail to take anything back down south from the second city.
AC Milan Serie A form:
AC Milan form (all competitions):
Salernitana Serie A form:
Team News
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Recently absent from Milan’s lineup due to a muscular injury, first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan will now miss his team’s final match of the season – and potentially the upcoming Euros – with a dislocated finger; Marco Sportiello therefore continues to deputise.
Samu Chukwueze is also ruled out, but Mattia Gabbia should start in central defence after serving a one-match ban, while both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Simon Kjaer could return in time to make the bench.
Kjaer joins evergreen striker Olivier Giroud in signing off his stay at San Siro this weekend, with the latter having set a new club best for scoring the most Serie A goals after turning 34; his tally of 38 beats the record previously set by Zlatan Ibrahimovic (34).
Meanwhile, Salernitana are also without their main goalkeeper, as Guillermo Ochoa joins defensive duo Jerome Boateng and Norbert Gyomber on the sidelines through injury.
Toma Basic is suspended, so following his late consolation goal earlier this week, Giulio Maggiore should step into the visitors’ midfield: the latter is one of only three Italians to have been directly involved in five or more Serie A goals since the start of March.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Calabria, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Adli, Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Fiorillo; Pierozzi, Fazio, Pirola; Sambia, Coulibaly, Maggiore, Zanoli; Candreva, Tchaouna; Ikwuemesi
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana
Salernitana have won just one away match on their way down to Serie B, and that tally is not set to increase at Milan’s expense. Although they seem to have mentally switched off, the Rossoneri may rouse themselves to honour Stefano Pioli in what is sure to be his final game at San Siro.
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