AC Milan host newly promoted Palermo at the San Siro in Serie A on Sunday in hopes of getting back to their winning ways following two successive 1-1 draws.
The Rossoneri have only lost once this season and are unbeaten in their last six matches, but four of those have been draws including last Sunday’s match with Fiorentina and midweek at Cagliari.
Sunday evening provides the perfect opportunity to pick up three points as Filippo Inzaghi’s side face a Palermo side who have picked up just one away point from four games through their travels.
The Rosanero are fresh from an important victory over fellow strugglers Chievo on Wednesday, picking up their first clean-sheet of the campaign in the process.
Giuseppe Iachini’s men boast the second worst defensive record in Serie A so far, conceding 17 goals including four against Lazio and three at Napoli and Empoli respectively; only Parma have conceded more.
Milan sit in fourth and are the league’s highest scoring side with 18 goals, six of which have come from midfielder Keisuke Honda, but they too have proven shaky at the back with only one clean sheet to their name this term.
Games involving the Rossoneri are currently averaging over three goals per game, and with both team’s defensive records, this game promises goals with the likes of Honda, Jeremy Menez, Paolo Dybala and Franco Vazquez likely to be the main source of goals.
After a season in Serie B, this will be the first time the Sicilians have faced AC Milan since March 2013 when a brace from Mario Balotelli handed the Diavolo a 2-0 win but goals from Fabrizio Miccoli and Mark Bresciano gave Palermo a 2-0 victory at the San Siro as recently as December 2009.
This Sunday, Luca Rigoni, the matchwinner for the Aquile in midweek, is suspended after picking up five yellow cards, and will be joined by the likes of Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari.
The scorer of Milan’s equalizer at Cagliari, Giacomo Bonaventura, also looks set to miss the game as a precaution following a head injury picked up during the game in Sardinia.
Michael Essien and Andrea Poli should come into the Rossoneri midfield as replacements, with the game coming too early for captain Riccardo Montolivo who won’t be back until late November.
Fernando Torres, who has only scored once in seven games since moving to Italy, is a doubt with an ankle injury and could make way for either Menez or Giampaolo Pazzini.
Expected Starting XIs
AC Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Rami, Alex, De Sciglio, de Jong, Essien, Poli, Honda, El Sharaawy, Menez
Palermo: Sorrentino, Munoz, Gonzalez, Andelkovic, Morganella, Barreto, Maresca, Lazaar, Vazquez, Dybala, Belotti
