AC Milan face mounting pressure as they welcome newly-promoted Venezia to San Siro on Saturday, still searching for their first Serie A victory of the season. With just two points from their opening three matches, the Rossoneri find themselves in unfamiliar territory near the bottom of the table.
New manager Paulo Fonseca’s tenure has gotten off to a rocky start, failing to meet lofty expectations. After squandering leads against both Torino and Lazio, Milan suffered a shock defeat to Parma. Another setback this weekend would mark their worst start in 65 years.
Defensive frailties have plagued Milan, conceding at least two goals in each of their last five league matches dating back to last season. Fonseca will need to shore up the backline quickly, especially with a crucial Champions League clash against Liverpool looming next week.
Despite their struggles, Milan can take confidence from their strong historical record against Venezia at San Siro. The visitors have managed just one away win in this fixture, which came over 80 years ago in 1942.
Venezia have endured an equally difficult start to life back in Serie A. With only one point and one goal to their name so far, Eusebio Di Francesco’s side sit 19th in the table. Their sole strike came in the opening minutes against Lazio on matchday one, but they’ve been held scoreless since.
The Lagunari will hope Milan’s leaky defense provides an opportunity to end their scoring drought. However, Di Francesco faces an uphill battle to turn things around after a challenging summer transfer window left the squad thin.
Team News
For Milan, Tammy Abraham could make his first start up front with Alvaro Morata only recently returning to training. Rafael Leao is likely to be recalled to the starting lineup after being benched last time out. His creativity will be crucial as Milan aim to jumpstart their sputtering attack.
Venezia welcome back top scorer Joel Pohjanpalo, who will be eager to open his Serie A account after netting 22 times in Serie B last season. The visitors may also have USA international Gianluca Busio available again following injury.
With speculation already swirling about potential replacements, Fonseca desperately needs a convincing performance to ease the pressure. Meanwhile, Di Francesco hopes to capitalize on Milan’s vulnerability and secure a shock result. An intriguing clash awaits as both sides pursue that elusive first win of the campaign.
Expected Starting XI
Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Abraham
Venezia: Joronen; Idzes, Svoboda, Sverko; Candela, Duncan, Nicolussi Caviglia, Zampano; Oristanio, Ellertsson; Pohjanpalo
