This Sunday, Milan will host Udinese at the Stadio Meazza in the first match between the two teams in the 2014/15 Serie A season, and the first time Andrea Stramaccioni will a team against Filippo Inzaghi.
The coaches will need to get their players ready to focus and concentrate at the task at hand on Sunday, as both sides will be coming from two very important games played last week; with Milan drawing Inter in the Derby della Madonnina and Antonio Di Natale scoring his 200th goal in his 400th Serie A match against Chievo, both the 1–1 results the two teams earned last week were more exciting than the scorelines suggest.
However, that is not where the similarities end. Both teams both have a total 18 points this season, with Milan sitting seventh in the Serie A table, and Udinese in eighth.
With four wins, six draws, and two losses for Milan compared to Udinese’s five wins, three draws, and four losses, the two teams come into the match on fairly equal ground. And both are looking to improve their current winless streaks.
Udinese have not won a match in over a month, since October 26, when they beat Atalanta 2-0 in Udine. Milan, on the other hand, have drawn or lost every match in the same time period; the Rossoneri have not won since October 19, in a 3-1 away win against Hellas Verona.
Milan’s Keisuke Honda and Udinese’s Di Natale will be looking to make an impression, as they have six and seven goals, respectively, to their name. The two forwards will not doubt try to take this as an opportunity to catch up with Juventus’ Carlos Tevez, who currently leads Serie A scoring charts with nine goals.
Inzaghi will be keeping an eye on the fitness of Nigel De Jong, Ignazio Abate, and Alex who are all doubts to start the match. On the Zebrette side, Gabriel Silva, and Luis Muriel are all also out due to injury, whereas Bruno Fernandes and Allan will miss the next Serie A match, should they pick up a yellow card.
Expected Starting XIs
AC Milan: Lopez; De Sciglio, Mexes, Rami, Bonera; Muntari, Essien; El Shaarawy, Menez, Bonaventura; Torres
Udinese: Karnezis; Piris, Danilo, Heurtaux, Widmer;, Allan, Pinzi, Fernandes; Di Natale, Thereau.
