Prediction: AC Milan vs SPAL

Prediction: AC Milan win

Best Odds: 9/20

Bookmaker: bet365

While there may be a lot of cup action this week over in England, in Italy, there are plenty of other reasons to get excited as Serie A continues to roll on with some midweek action. There are some pretty noticeable faces currently residing at the top of the table, but down towards the bottom, AC Milan find themselves in a spot of bother. On Thursday night they’ll be squaring off against SPAL, in a game which could serve as a really key indication as to what sort of direction they’ll end up going in this season.

AC Milan

When compared to some of Italy’s finest, AC Milan are struggling to live up to their reputation – mainly due to a collapse in the core of their squad over the last few years. They’ve invested poorly and haven’t been able to rebuild ever since they lost their star names towards the turn of the decade, and now, their side resembles a midtable team as opposed to one that can challenge for the European spots. They seem like a fatigued club in need of a turnaround, but nobody is prepared to give them one.

Team News

Duarte is set to feature following Conti’s poor performance, with Rodriguez being the only injury doubt. Piatek, Castillejo and Bennacer are all expected to start.

SPAL

While it seemed as if SPAL were just starting to establish themselves as a top flight team, this season has seen them slip further down the ranks of the elite within Italian football. They never seem to get blown out of the water, but they have no real creativity up top – which is always going to be a major issue in a league as competitive as this one. They’ve got a gritty, determined side, but they still haven’t been able to escape that underdog tag.

Team News

Paloschi will start against his former club alongside Petagna with Fares, Di Francesco and D’Alessandro all being ruled out.

Factors to Consider

• AC Milan are currently 13th in Serie A, whereas SPAL are down in 19th.
• AC Milan have won one, drawn one and lost four of their last six games.
• SPAL have won one, drawn one and lost four of their last six games.
• AC Milan have scored seven goals and conceded 12 in their last six games.
• SPAL have scored three goals and conceded 11 in their last six games.

Conclusion

AC Milan should be treating every game like a cup final at this stage, and we think they’ll do just that against SPAL. It may not be the best performance you’ve ever seen, and it might even be a tense one, but they just need to start building their way back up from the bottom. Milan, as a club, is still considered to be a major force in European football from the position of their infrastructure alone. They just need to frustrate SPAL defensively, hit them on the counter and edge them out.

Prediction: AC Milan win

Best Odds: 9/20

Bookmaker: bet365