Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – AC Milan will play against Genoa in the Italian League at 23.00 WIB, Sunday (5/5/2024). However, without the support of Curva Sud (AC Milan ultra supporters), this will be a very special match for the Rossoneri.
The match will mean a lot for AC Milan. If they succeed in beating Genoa, Milan will qualify for the Italian Supercoppa next year.
Curva Sud announced on Friday (3/5/2024) morning that they would be present at the stadium, but there would be no cheers, flags or banners. This was the second step in the Rossoneri hardline supporter’s protest against management.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli said tonight’s match would be special without the support of Curva Sud. This will not affect the players to maintain second place in the Italian League.
During the pre-match press conference, Pioli also confirmed that the Milan vs Genoa match would be an attacking starting XI.
A total of six Milan players will be absent from the match against Genoa, namely Mike Maignan, Simon Kjaer, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Jovic (all injured), Davide Calabria and Yunus Musah (suspended).
Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez are both back from suspension, meaning the defense will return to normal operation after Milan started with Yunus Musah at right-back and Alessandro Florenzi at left-back against Juve.
Pierre Kalulu and Tommaso Pobega have both recovered from their injuries and will be called up for the match against Genoa.
Milan’s line-up will be in an attacking formation, because Samuel Chukwueze and Christian Pulisic will play from the first minute. Loftus-Cheek’s injury forced Pioli to take this solution. This solution proved to work well against Lecce so it will be interesting to see it again.
Olivier Giroud will retain his place up front, despite a tough showing against Juventus, and many fans may be wondering what Noah Okafor must do to stand a chance.
Genoa, under the guidance of former Milan player Alberto Gilardino, remains in the Italian Serie A League. They are 13 points ahead of relegation.
Gilardino has reached an agreement with the club to extend his contract. This shows that management has great trust in him. From mid-December to early February, they went eight games without losing. This is what made them successful in avoiding relegation.
Genoa also doesn’t give up easily. They showed that by beating Roma and Lazio, drawing twice against Juventus and drawing against Inter. This half of the season, Milan had to rely on Pulisic’s winning goal in the 87th minute to secure three points.
Albert Gudmundsson and Mateo Retegui are Genoa’s undisputed stars. They scored 14 and 6 goals respectively.
Milan vs Genoa player forecast:
Milan (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Florenzi, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Bennacer, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Giroud.
Genoa (3-5-2): Martinez; Vogliacco, De Winter, Vasquez; Sabelli, Thorsby, Badelj, Frendrup, Martin; Gudmundsson, Retegui.