AC Milan vs. Chievo: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
After a last-gasp win over their bogey team, AC Milan heads into a midweek matchup against Chievo on Wednesday.
Date: Wednesday, October 28
Time: 8:45 local time; 7:45 UK time; 3:45 EDT
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Venue: San Siro, Milan
TV Info: No live feeds
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Sunday's game against Sassuolo was shaping up to be a must-win. The team had been coming off a draw and two losses, including a limp 4-0 capitulation at home against Napoli and a blown lead against Torino.
Combined with an uninspired 1-0 loss to a severely under-strength Inter side in the yearly Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi exhibition in midweek—a game played while the teams that took their place in Europe were active on the continent—reports like this one from La Gazzeta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) began circulating that Sinisa Mihajlovic was already coaching for his job.
It didn't help that the Rossoneri were going up against the team that has had their number for the last two years. Sassuolo—a team that represents a city whose entire population can almost fit into the San Siro twice over—had beaten Milan in three of four league games since their promotion to Serie A in 2013. Wunderkind Domenico Berardi had punctuated two of those wins with seven goals.
As if there wasn't already enough drama going into Sunday's contest, Mihajlovic chose this of all games to bench goalkeeper Diego Lopez—Milan's best player last year—in favor of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The 16-year-old was impressive during preseason games this year, but it was a shock to see him displace the Spaniard and become the youngest goalkeeper to ever start a Serie A game, breaking Gianluigi Buffon's record.
The game was a struggle from the beginning. Milan got a break when goalkeeper Andrea Consigli was hit with a red card for a foul on Carlos Bacca, who converted the ensuing penalty kick. But even with the Neroverdi a man down, they struggled to press the advantage and were in danger of dropping yet more points from a winning position when Berardi popped up to haunt them again by converting a fantastic free-kick.
Fortunately for Mihajlovic, a last-gasp strike off a corner by Luiz Adriano gave his side a much-needed 2-1 victory. They were three choppy points, but points nonetheless. With the table starting to solidify and a seemingly awakening Juventus creeping up behind them, a run of victories would be a huge boost towards a more successful season.
Chievo, on the other hand, have been one of Serie A's many surprises. In the thick of the relegation fight for much of last season, the Flying Donkeys won their first two games against Empoli and Lazio by a combined score of 7-1 and then held a lead for 77 minutes at the Juventus Stadium before being pegged back for a draw.
While they've only won one of six since, the Veronese side has put themselves in good position to avoid the relegation fight altogether this year—which for this team would count as an unqualified success.
Form Lines
| AC Milan | Chievo |
| W 2-1 vs. Sassuolo | L 1-0 vs. Napoli |
| D 1-1 @ Torino | L 3-2 @ Genoa |
| L 4-0 vs. Napoli | D 1-1 vs. Hellas Verona |
| L 1-0 @ Genoa | D 1-1 @ Sassuolo |
| W 3-2 @ Udinese | W 1-0 vs. Torino |
Predicted Formations
| AC Milan (4-3-3) | Chievo (4-3-1-2) |
| Donnarumma | Bizzarri |
| Abate Romagnoli Alex Antonelli | Frey Cesar Gamberini Gobbi |
| Bertolacci Montolivo Kucka | Hetemaj Rigoni Castro |
| Bonaventura Bacca Cerci | Birsa |
| Meggiorini Paloschi |
Players to Watch
It was a true shock to see Donnarumma take the field on Sunday. The 16-year-old is far from a finished product, but he's as promising a goalkeeping prospect that has come about since Mattia Perin broke on the scene four years ago.
Already possessed of impressive size at 6'5", Donnarumma has fantastic instincts. According to Squawka.com, he claimed all four crosses that came his way on Sunday and was successful in 91 percent of his distribution attempts. He could do little about Berardi's thundering free kick, and his debut was an overall success.
There's still a lot of ground to cover before he starts being mentioned in the same breath as 'keepers like Perin, and it's unlikely that he'll keep hold of the starting spot long-term. But seeing this exciting young prospect is a promising look at what the future might be for Milan between the sticks.
The present at Chievo was once the future at Milan. A product of the Rossoneri youth system, Alberto Paloschi has started all nine of Chievo's games this year and leads the team with four goals.
Since arriving in Verona in 2011, he has been a huge part of the team, never appearing in fewer than 20 games, and that season was mired by injuries. He scored a career-high 13 goals two years ago and potted nine last year—a respectable tally for a team fighting off relegation.
Paloschi will have a tantalizing target to aim at in Milan's defensive line. While not the Dumpster fire it was a year ago, Milan's back four are still a work-in-progress. Mihajlovic has struggled to find the perfect partner for young Alessio Romagnoli, having cycled through Rodrigo Ely, Cristian Zapata and Alex without an unqualified success.
If the 25-year-old can find a wrinkle in the fabric, he could burst through and punish his former club.
Key Matchup
Chievo will be relying on another former Milan player to connect Paloschi and strike partner Riccardo Meggiorini with the rest of the team.
Slovenia international Valter Birsa has played a part in every game Chievo has played this season, starting seven. He's scored twice and provided three assists and is currently rated as the team's best player by WhoScored.com.
Bought by Milan from Torino two years ago, Birsa played in 19 games across all competitions for Milan, but he was deemed surplus to requirements and loaned to Chievo last year. He struggled to produce, but now he's off to his best start since he arrived in Italy in 2011.
He'll face up to a Milan midfield that has been in rough shape this season. Mihajlovic has yet to find his best combination in the middle of the park, and now the entire team's dynamic is going to change with his shift from a 4-3-1-2 formation to a 4-3-3.
Riccardo Montolivo will be the man tasked with disrupting Birsa's link-up play.
The only man on the team who can play as a true regista, Montolivo has the dual responsibility of covering the defense and creating offense from deep. At the height of his powers at Fiorentina, he could do it all effectively, but he's not the same player anymore.
This game will be deeply affected by the winner of this matchup. Whichever player manages to grab a foothold and dictate play, whether it is from the front of the midfield (Birsa) or the rear (Montolivo) will make his team's attack that much more dangerous and bring his team that much closer to three points.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Milan win: 2-3
Chievo win: 4-1
Draw: 13-5
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