AC Milan vs. Sampdoria: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info

AC Milan have a chance to go on a little winning streak on Sunday—and they will have to it against a direct rival for the European places.

Sampdoria head to San Siro in fifth place, where they have hovered for the majority of the season. They are in line for Europa League qualification, while Milan are still peering from the outside. 

But there's a different attitude about the Rossoneri now. They are getting players back. They are winning. They are feeling better about themselves.

Date: Sunday, 12 April

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

Venue: San Siro

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

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

"I always said we ought to have done better regardless of injuries," coach Filippo Inzaghi told reporters this weekend, per Football Italia, "but it’s also true that recently training sessions have felt very different. We’ve got more competition for places and good results bring confidence too."

Sampdoria have just as much reason to feel good about themselves. Despite losing at Fiorentina last week, the Blucerchiati are riding a nice wave of form, winning four of their past five Serie A matches. 

Palermo vs. Milan	1-2
Milan vs. Cagliari	3-1
Fiorentina vs. Milan	2-1
Milan vs. Verona	2-2
Chievo vs. Milan	0-0

Predicted Formations

Inzaghi could use the same XI as he did last week. Imagine that: Milan playing with consistency.

In fact, the first-year coach has more options than ever before.

Defenders Mattia De Sciglio and Adil Rami are back from injury, and midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura passed a late fitness test, per AC Milan's official website.

De Sciglio returns to a team that does not necessarily have a starting position for him. Since going down with a foot injury—which he thought would keep him out for the rest of the season—Luca Antonelli has stepped in and provided good cover. The signing from Genoa scored on his Milan debut against Juventus, and he started for Italy in their latest Euro qualifier.

It's likely that Antonelli will keep his spot in the lineup, with Philippe Mexes and Gabriel Paletta maintaining their partnership until Rami regains match fitness. Ignazio Abate remains at right back.

Fiorentina vs. Sampdoria	2-0
Sampdoria vs. Inter	1-0
Roma vs. Sampdoria	0-2
Sampdoria vs. Cagliari	2-0
Atalanta vs. Sampdoria	1-2

A midfield consisting of Bonaventura, Nigel de Jong and Marco van Ginkel should stay in tact. The same goes for the front three: Jeremy Menez, Mattia Destro and Alessio Cerci are expected to start up front (Keisuke Honda is still out with an ankle sprain). They are still a work in progress, but Cerci and Menez scored at Palermo last week, giving hope of a permanent solution in attack.

It only took Inzaghi 30 matches to figure it out.

Sampdoria, on the other hand, could change their formation. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that coach Sinisa Mihajlovic will scrap his 4-3-3 formation for a 4-2-3-1. Either way, their offence is explosive: any combination of Samuel Eto'o, Eder and Stefano Okaka is deadly.

It's the first game for Eto'o at San Siro since leaving Inter in 2011. No doubt that will spur him on to be the best he can.

It's a similar situation with Okaka, who has fielded interest from Milan, per La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). A good performance against them could convince the Rossoneri of making a move in the summer. 

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Player to Watch

Jeremy Menez is right behind Carlos Tevez at the top of the Serie A scoring list. He's trying to break the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. There's a lot for him to achieve in this personal-best year of his.

Menez has five goals in his past five matches—his hottest streak this season. He single-handedly won the points at Palermo as he ripped through the defence and launched a killer strike in the final minutes.

But he also has to watch himself. Menez is one yellow card away from a suspension, meaning he could miss the derby next week if he's not careful. 

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Milan: -105

Sampdoria: +260

Draw: +250

Prediction: Milan 2 Sampdoria 2