AC Milan will be under immense pressure to secure their first win of the 2024/25 Serie A season when they host newly promoted Venezia at San Siro Stadium on Saturday.
After the international break, the Italian giants resume club football with just two points on the board and are marginally ahead of their upcoming opponents, who have just one goal and one point to their name so far.
Milan need results, but despite their awful start to the season, they’ll welcome Venezia to the San Siro as overwhelming favourites to come away with the three points.
The club faithful haven’t had much to cheer about so far, but AC Milan vs Venezia tickets are expected to sell out fast, even on Seatsnet.com, with fans keen to see if the Rossoneri can finally turn things around.
Match Preview
Rumours have begun circulating that Milan are already on the market for potential replacements for Paulo Fonseca after their awful start to the season.
So, the former AS Roma and Lille boss is under significant pressure to secure his first competitive win with the Rossoneri this Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel and former Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri are among those reportedly under consideration, so Fonseca has to start delivering results, or he could find himself out of a job inside the opening quarter of the season.
Milan’s season has been massively underwhelming so far.
They kicked off Serie A with a dramatic late comeback from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 against Torino, thanks to late goals from Noah Okafor and Alvaro Morata.
The writings were already on the wall, and it became clearer as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against newly-promoted Parma in the second game.
Milan went into the international break on the back of a pulsating 2-2 draw against Lazio, thanks to a breakaway goal from Tammy Abraham and Rafael Leao, who had recently been dropped alongside fellow star Theo Hernandez.
Defensive issues continue to plague Milan, who have conceded at least two goals in each of their last five matches, averaging 2.4 goals per game.
If they fail to secure a win this weekend, it would mark only the second time in over six decades – and the first this century – that Milan would go winless in their first four Serie A fixtures.
With a Champions League clash against Liverpool on the horizon, Milan desperately need a strong performance at San Siro this weekend.
Historically, Milan has been dominant against Venezia, having lost just one of their last 13 home games against them in Serie A.
That sole away victory for Venezia dates back to 1942, while their last league win over Milan occurred over two decades ago.
Venezia have struggled to find their feet since gaining promotion to the Italian top flight through the Serie B play-offs.
They have managed only one point from three top-flight matches and were eliminated from the Coppa Italia.
Their recent defeat came against Torino as they succumbed to a late goal from former manager Paolo Vanoli’s side, and their ongoing scoring troubles were evident as they once again failed to find the net.
Magnus Andersen put Venezia ahead at the start of their curtain-raiser against Lazio, which they ultimately lost 3-1, but since then, the ailing Arancioneroverdi have struggled to get on the score sheet.
Head coach Eusebio Di Francesco faces a challenging task to turn things around after a difficult summer transfer window.
However, Milan’s shaky defence may provide an opportunity for Venezia to break their worrying goal drought and secure a much-needed result.
Key Stats
Milan and Venezia have clashed 31 times across all competitions, with the Rossoneri emerging victorious in 20 of those encounters.
The most common scoreline in their Serie A meetings is a 2-0 win for Milan, a result they’ve achieved five times, including their most recent clash in September 2021.
Milan are formidable when it comes to facing newly-promoted teams at home.
They are unbeaten in their last 19 Serie A home games against such teams (W15, D4). This impressive streak is their longest since a 21-game unbeaten run back in 2003.
While results haven’t been going their way so far, Milan are showing strong attacking form, with only Napoli (59) taking more shots than Fonseca’s side (53). Milan also rank fifth in expected goals (5.4).
Milan secured a comprehensive league double over Venezia the last time the away side were in the Serie A, winning 5-0 on aggregate.
Venezia have struggled against Milan in the 21st century. They are winless in four Serie A matches against the Rossoneri and have only managed to find the back of the net twice.
Despite a worrying dip in form, with only one win in their last five Serie A home games, Milan have been resilient overall. They have lost just once in their last 15 league games at the San Siro.
Team News & Potential Line-ups
Fonseca is set to give Tammy Abraham his first start this Saturday after reuniting with the English striker on transfer deadline day.
Abraham’s potential inclusion in the starting line-up comes as first-choice striker Morata continues to work his way back to full fitness in full team training after recovering from a thigh injury.
Morata’s return to fitness is positive news for Milan, but the Rossoneri will still be without Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi, with both players sidelined for the long term.
Centre-back Malick Thiaw will also sit out the weekend fixture as he continues to nurse an ankle sprain.
Despite being benched in the recent match against Lazio, Rafael Leao is expected to reclaim his spot in the starting XI.
Leao has been in exceptional form, being the only player to have reached double figures for both goals and assists in Serie A since the start of last season (ten goals and ten assists).
For Venezia, top scorer Joel Pohjanpalo returned to full fitness just before the international break.
The Finnish striker, who netted 22 times in Serie B last season, will be looking to bag his first goal of the season.
Former Inter Milan forward Gaetano Oristanio will make a return to San Siro and is anticipated to start in support of Pohjanpalo, operating at the top of a 3-4-2-1 formation.
United States international Gianluca Busio has used the past fortnight to recover from injury, so Di Francesco could have a fully fit squad to choose from for this weekend’s match.
AC Milan potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Youssouf Fofana, Tijani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Tammy Abraham.
Venezia potential starting line-up:
(3-4-2-1): Jesse Joronen; Jay Idzes, Michael Svoboda, Joel Schingtienne; Antonio Candela, Alfred Duncan, Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, Francesco Zampano; Gianluca Busio, Gaetano Oristanio; Joel Pohjanpalo.
