Genoa vs AC Milan: Rossoneri aim to continue onwards and upwards
AC Milan will hope to keep building on an impressive run of results as they take on Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Tuesday.
The Rossoneri have been in an excellent vein of form as of late. This past Sunday, they defeated Juventus for the first time since 2012 in the league, which also marked the first loss for Massimiliano Allegri to his former side since being sacked in January 2014. Although Roma won their match against Palermo to slide back into second, Milan sit only behind the Giallorossi on goal difference. Furthermore, as they play first, the Diavolo could actually temporarily overtake both Juventus and Roma to clinch top spot.
Vincenzo Montella’s men have not lost a game since going 1-0 down to Udinese back on September 11th, and the feeling among Milan fans is one of careful optimism. The team, however, are faring much better so far than they have in previous seasons, but they are still a long way off from being serious Scudetto contenders. Nonetheless, three seasons without European football is not acceptable for a club of Milan’s caliber, and it is apparent that the objective is to at least make a return to continental affairs next term. Ideally, the Champions League, of course would be perfect, but having missed out on Europa League football, the Rossoneri will probably be satisfied with even featuring in the continent’s second-tier competition. After all, Sevilla have made that their home in the past few seasons and it does bring in a nice bit of revenue for whoever wins the title.
Highly encouraging were the performances of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Locatelli. Both youngsters were vital in Milan sealing all three points. Locatelli was the goal-scorer on the night, with a wonderfully taken long-range effort that left Gianluigi Buffon with no chance. Meanwhile, Donnarumma’s last-ditch save to deny Sami Khedira proved to be the decisive factor in preserving a much needed win for Montella’s side. As such, they now head to Genoa full of confidence and fancying their chances against a Grifone side who have been a bit off color in the past recent weeks.
Ivan Juric has helped revitalize the team, but things have gone a bit sour as of late. In a highly entertaining Derby della Lanterna clash, Genoa were unable to find a way past cross-town rivals Sampdoria and now will be seeking to get back on track. The Grifone have not lost to Milan at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris since April 2014 and they will be loath to allow that to happen. However, the Diavolo are truly a side in the ascendancy and barring a surprise collapse, they should be able to come out on top in this one.
