Milan vs Empoli Prediction: Don't Lose Concentration

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – Following two consecutive wins, AC Milan hopes to continue winning matches. The Rossoneri will face Empoli in the continuation of the Italian Serie A League, at the San Siro Stadium, Sunday (10/3/2024) at 21.00 WIB.

A win would put more pressure on Juventus, who are currently just one point ahead. Milan is now in third place in the Italian League standings with 56 points, while Juventus is above it with 57.

Milan will face this match with enough confidence after two wins. However, many people think the Rossoneri could have done much better in both wins.

AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli emphasized that his players must not lose concentration and this must end immediately.

Tommaso Pobega remains the only player on the injury list, but this time Milan will have to serve several suspensions. Alessandro Florenzi will miss the match and the next Europa League game. Another key player, Rafael Leao, will also be absent later.

Of course, losing Leao is not a good thing, but Milan have shown their depth on several occasions this season. Davide Calabria will be Florenzi's replacement, again taking the captain's armband from Theo Hernandez.

For the first time since late November, we can also see Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori in the heart of defence.

In midfield, it looks like Ismael Bennacer will replace Yacine Adli after a rather poor performance last time out. Tijjani Reijnders, meanwhile, bagged a fine goal and will thus retain his place in the starting lineup, hoping to score again.

Up front, considering Leao is suspended, Noah Okafor will get a chance and he will look to score against Lazio. He has to provide service to Luka Jovic in the penalty box, because Olivier Giroud will be resting.

Samuel Chukwueze, will remain on the bench and Christian Pulisic will remain in his position.

It has been a very strange season for Empoli, going from hopelessness to relative safety thanks to the appointment of Davide Nicola at the start of January. Before his arrival, the Tuscan team had only won three games all season, and now they have won three games with him.

In fact, before the defeat to Cagliari last time out, Empoli were unbeaten for six matches (3 wins and 3 draws) and this gave them some breathing room. However, the threat of relegation still looms. Because, they are only two points different from the team ranked 18th.

Empoli gained 25 points and is in 15th place, while Frosinone, who is in 18th place, has 23 points.

After playing with four players at the back for most of the season, this changed with the arrival of Nicole who used three players at the back. This is clearly the key to success but it remains to be seen whether they can remain consistent, or whether it is simply the effect of a new manager.

The likes of Ciccio Caputo, Szymon Zurkowski and Tyronne Ebuehi have all recovered from injury struggles and will be available for tonight's game. This is good news for Nicola, who has been relied on especially by Zurkowski (four goals and one assist).

Empoli lost their gem Tommaso Baldanzi to Roma in the January transfer window and AC Milan loanee Daniel Maldini moved to Monza. However, thanks to the change in formation, the lack of attacking midfielders is not a problem.

Former Milan player M'Baye Niang joined the team in January and he started his tenure well, scoring three goals in four appearances. It should be noted that all these goals came from the penalty spot.

Milan has been quite successful against Empoli in recent years. They have not lost to Empoli since 2017. The Rossoneri have also won four of the last five meetings.

However, the last time they faced each other at the San Siro, it was a frustrating evening for Stefano Pioli's side as they squandered numerous chances.

Olivier Giroud then scored what everyone thought was the winner with minutes remaining, but it was disallowed for handball.

Of course, Milan must be more effective in front of goal this time. If not, they will be frustrated again at San Siro.

Milan vs Empoli player forecast:
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor; Jovic.

Empoli (3-4-2-1): Caprile; Ismajli, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Gyasi, Marin, Maleh, Pezzella; Cambiaghi, Zurkowski; Niang.

Last 5 meetings:
01-07-2024 Empoli 0-3 Milan (Serie A)
04-08-2023 Milan 0-0 Empoli (Serie A)
02-10-2022 Empoli 1-3 Milan (Serie A)
03-13-2022 Milan 1-0 Empoli (Serie A)
12-23-2021 Empoli 2-4 Milan (Serie A).