UDINESE v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW
Serie A
After two league matches without a win (Fiorentina and Salernitana), AC Milan are looking to get back on track in Udine and to end the month of March in the best possible way before the international break. The Dacia Arena is historically a tricky venue and Udinese a tough opponent to face, but the Rossoneri will be up for it. With just a few hours to go until the kick-off, here is all the information you need ahead of the clash with the Friulani.
LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The Rossoneri will face Sottil's team with three important absentees to deal with: Olivier Giroud, suspended, Junior Messias and Theo Hernández. The rest of the team is at Coach Pioli's disposal and they need to react after Monday's draw at home with Salernitana. The Rossoneri currently occupy fourth position with 48 points, behind Inter and Lazio and with a one-point gap over Roma. A victory before the break would be vital, for the league table but also for mood and confidence. A three-way battle to replace Oli in attack: Ibra, Ante and Divock are competing for a place. In Messias' absence, however, it will be Saelemaekers and Calabria who will compete for a place on the right flank. Two players are a yellow away from suspension: Ante Rebić and Simon Kjær.
Pioli had this to say in his press conference on the eve of the match: "We know our opponents, they are a physical, technical team, very direct and fast going forwards. We need to try to play our own game. The match must be approached with attention and determination, we come from a defeat and a draw and an important game awaits us."
LATEST FROM UDINESE
Sottil, like Pioli, will be without the injured Deulofeu and Ebosse. The Friuliani, with their away win against Empoli, broke a six-match winless streak that had lasted since the 0-1 defeat against Sampdoria on 22 January. After a brilliant run of six consecutive wins between the end of August and the beginning of October, Udinese only won twice in their next 18 matches, and as mentioned, both times away from the Dacia Arena. A home win has been missing since the 3-1 win over Inter on 18 September. A long drought that the Bianconeri, a very physical and tough team, hope to break against the Rossoneri. The tried and tested 3-5-2 of the Friulani will see the duo of Beto and Success in attack, and on the flanks the fast and dangerous Udogie-Ehizibue duo.
Udinese coach Sottil said in his press conference: " AC Milan are a battleship, a team whose strength lies in their organisation, but also in their individual players, they have players who can pull the trick out of the hat at any time, counting also the players who can come on during the game. We have the determination and the will to play our game."
WHERE TO WATCH UDINESE v AC MILAN
In Italy, the game will be broadcast live on DAZN and Sky from 20.45 CET. To watch the game abroad, head to the "Abroad" section of the page "Where to watch AC Milan on TV".
Before the game, head to Milan TV for our Matchday programme. Coverage starts at 19:30 CET and will run right up to kick off at the Dacia Arena. After the game, we will have analysis, interviews and Stefano Pioli's press conference.
Head to our Twitch channel for the Live Reaction to Udinese v AC Milan, starting at 20:40 CET, with Francesco Specchia, Lollo and more. Also, don't miss our live feeds on all of our social media channels, on acmilan.com and via our Official App.
LATEST FROM SERIE A
Daniele Doveri will take charge of this one: the Tuscan, born in Volterra, is preparing to referee his 205th match in Serie A. He has 20 previous meetings with Udinese (4W, 8D, 8L), 26 with the Rossoneri (15W, 7D, 4L). Doveri's last meeting with AC Milan was Sassuolo 0-3 AC Milan on 22 May 2022, the day they won their 19th Scudetto.
From Friday to Sunday, three days of football: the 27th matchday of Serie A began yesterday with two matches, Sassuolo-Spezia 1-0 and Atalanta-Empoli 2-1. Three more matches are scheduled for today, Saturday 18 March: Monza v Cremonese at 15:00, Salernitana v Bologna at 18:00 and Udinese v AC Milan at 20:45. Sunday's programme includes five matches: Sampdoria v Hellas Verona at 12.30, Fiorentina v Lecce and Torino v Napoli at 15.00; the derby Lazio v Roma at 18.00 and the final match Inter v Juventus at 20.45. (All times CET).
Here is the current Serie A table: Napoli 71; Inter 50; Lazio 49; AC Milan 48; Roma 47; Atalanta* 45; Juventus 38, Torino 37; Bologna and Sassuolo* 36; Udinese 35; Fiorentina 34; Monza 33; Empoli* 28; Lecce 27; Salernitana 25; Spezia* 24; Hellas Verona 17; Sampdoria, Cremonese 12. (* = one more game played)
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