After falling 11 points behind the Serie A leaders by losing in midweek, AC Milan aim to get straight back on track when they make the short trip to Monza on Saturday.
Beaten by Napoli at San Siro, the Rossoneri already have a significant deficit to make up in the Scudetto race; meanwhile, Monza will hope to replicate last season's stunning win over their eminent neighbours.
Match preview
© Imago
Milan went into Tuesday night's high-profile clash against Serie A pace-setters Napoli hoping to pull within five points of their title rivals - and with one game in hand following the postponement of their previous game against Bologna.
However, they were ultimately consigned to a 2-0 defeat by first-half strikes from Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, allowing Antonio Conte's side to extend an impressive lead at the top.
That added fuel to the fire regarding Paulo Fonseca's future, particularly as many fans expected Conte to be appointed in the summer: his team only occupy eighth place in the standings with a quarter of the campaign completed.
Including a couple of Champions League defeats, Milan have now lost five of 12 games under Fonseca, who again dropped Portuguese compatriot Rafael Leao in midweek, amid rumours of an unhappy camp.
During an inconsistent October, in which they finally toppled old foes Inter Milan, the Rossoneri belatedly got up and running in Europe by beating Club Brugge, but they must next face Champions League winning machine Real Madrid.
First, a visit to nearby Monza awaits, and under-fire Fonseca will try to avoid the fate that befell Milan when they last took on the Brianzoli.
© Imago
Having previously failed to pick up a single point against their Lombardy rivals since reaching Italy's top flight, Monza produced a stunning late surge to win 4-2 when these clubs last met.
After letting a two-goal lead slip during the second half, they struck twice during stoppage time, with goals from Warren Bondo and Milan-owned Lorenzo Colombo securing a famous success.
Now, new boss Alessandro Nesta - a stalwart defender for Milan during his playing days - will dream of defying the odds to pull off a similar feat, with his team currently languishing near the Serie A drop zone.
Last week finally brought the Biancorossi's first league win of the season, and Nesta's men had put together a three-game unbeaten streak, soon after progressing to the last 16 of the Coppa Italia.
However, their midweek trip to Bergamo brought a 2-0 defeat, despite holding in-form Atalanta BC goalless for over an hour - that leaves Monza with just eight points on the board from 10 matches.
Team News
© Imago
Milan will welcome back Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders this weekend, after being sidelined by suspension on Tuesday, so both should return to the starting XI.
With Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic still short of fitness, Alvaro Morata leads the Rossoneri's attack, supported by Christian Pulisic, who is set to recover from an illness. However, it remains to be seen whether Rafael Leao will be recalled or Noah Okafor keeps his place on the left flank.
Milan's long-term absentees Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi are ruled out until next year, while Monza will be missing Samuele Birindelli, Alessio Cragno and Stefano Sensi through injury - but Warren Bondo is back from a ban.
Mirko Maric was given a rare start up front against Atalanta, but experienced striker Milan Djuric is expected to return to the hosts' lineup on Saturday evening.
The latter could be joined by a member of Milan's family dynasty, as ex-Rossonero Daniel Maldini - who recently followed in the footsteps of Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini by playing for Italy - may be promoted from the bench.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Pessina, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Maldini; Djuric
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Terracciano, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Okafor; Morata
We say: Monza 1-2 AC Milan
On the road, Milan cannot be relied upon to secure a positive result, as they have struggled to pick up points away from San Siro this season.
Monza's lack of confidence could still see the Rossoneri prevail, though, and if the visitors score first then victory should be theirs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
