AC Milan vs. Verona: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream & TV Info

Filippo Inzaghi may only have a single game left in charge of AC Milan. His fate, according to Italian reports, rests on the result against Hellas Verona on Saturday.

The Rossoneri have endured a lot of hardship under the first-year coach—the brunt of it in 2015. They have just two wins in Serie A over the past two months of play—and those came against the bottom two teams. Injuries keep on happening, too: Both Nigel de Jong and Riccardo Montolivo are set to miss the potentially crucial match this Saturday.

Without the midfield duo in their lineup, Milan play a lot worse. That is no surprise. De Jong makes the highest average of interceptions per game (via WhoScored.com) on the team and Montolivo the most key passes. They are going to miss their engine and their creativity in one shot.

Lucky for them, Milan did without the two in their previous encounter with Verona and still won 3-1.

Nonetheless, Inzaghi sounded a bit flustered in the pre-match press conference. The pressure is getting to him.

“When you’re the Milan coach, you come under fire from all angles, every day,” Inzaghi said (per Football Italia). “I want the team to do well and not be affected. I don’t care what you [the media] say about me. I’m sure of my philosophy, and the way I work, so I’m calm.”

It’s the most outspoken Inzaghi has been, and it’s one of the only times he has directly reproached the media since taking the job. 

“On the technical side of things I accept everything, and I want to prove you all wrong,” the 41-year-old said. “I have to be evaluated for my results. My dream is to give so much to Milan, I feel the affection of the club.”

We will see if that affection lasts.

Date: Saturday, 7 March

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: San Siro, Milan

TV info: BT Sport 1 (UK)/beIN Sports, Rai International (U.S. and Canada)

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada)

Milan vs. Chievo	0-0
Milan vs. Cesena	2-0
Milan vs. Empoli	1-1
Juventus vs. Milan	3-1
Milan vs. Parma	3-1

Cagliari vs. Verona	1-2
Verona vs. Roma	1-1
Genoa vs. Verona	5-2
Verona vs. Torino	1-3
Palermo vs. Verona	2-1

Predicted Formations 

Inzaghi should return to the 4-3-3 formation, and Alessio Cerci is likely to start in the right-wing position, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). It would be his first start since a reported training bust-up with the coach. Mainstay Jeremy Menez will take the left side and Mattia Destro will be at the tip of the front three.

The midfield is a little trickier. Due to the aforementioned injuries, Michael Essien could make his first appearance since his humiliating performance in a 3-1 loss at Juventus in February. Andrea Poli is assured of a spot on his usual right side and Giacomo Bonaventura could play deeper. 

Here is where Bonaventura proves his value. He has been deployed in virtually every offensive and midfield position since joining Milan in the summer. He could play as a left-sided midfielder just as easily as a left-winger.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

The defence will change once again. Not two weeks go by without a different centre-back pairing. An injury to Alex opens the door to Gabriel Paletta, who could link up with Salvatore Bocchetti. Continuing at left-back is Luca Antonelli, who has replaced Mattia De Sciglio for the time being. Daniele Bonera could start ahead of the returning Ignazio Abate. It remains to be seen whether Abate will be fit enough.

Diego Lopez stays in net, and there really isn’t a reason to the contrary. Lopez continues to keep Milan in games.

For Hellas Verona, the main threat up front is Luca Toni. But the offence is not limited to the 37-year-old. Emil Hallfredsson, Panagiotis Tachtsidis and Jacopo Sala could make up an offensive midfield three. Expect a lot of link-up play between the four of them. There is definitely an attacking element to this Verona side, and they would do well to hit Milan at such a delicate moment.

Players to Watch

If Cerci does start, it would be a perfect opportunity to remind onlookers of the ability he has. The Italian notched a Serie A-high 10 assists last season with Torino. It’s time for him to rediscover that form.

Cerci was reportedly upset with Inzaghi’s decision to play him in the final few minutes of the past couple of games. The coach denied any rift, but it’s true that Cerci has not made enough of an impact at either Atletico Madrid or Milan this season to merit a starting position every week. A chance on Saturday could change Inzaghi’s mind.

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press

On the other side is an older but more serviceable and trustworthy striker. Toni recently broke the double-digit scoring mark for a second straight season with Verona, proving once more that he is still a threat at 37 years old. He can score from anywhere in the final third. Headers, long and short attempts are all game. Milan have a difficult time tracking runs and preventing headers off set pieces: Expect Toni to take advantage of that.

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Verona: +425

Milan: -165

Draw: +275

Prediction: Milan 2 Verona 1