AC MILAN v HELLAS VERONA: MATCH PREVIEW

San Siro will be full again to push our boys to victory. AC Milan v Hellas Verona, the match that concluded last season, in 2023/24 comes on Matchday 5: Rafa's double and Zlatan's emotional farewell are still fresh on our mind, but today we have to write a new story. After the two matches against Inter and Newcastle, the goal is to find that victory to give us points in the league, but also impetus and confidence in this intense and demanding cycle of matches ahead of us. In the home match against the Scaligeri, the PUMA Third Kit will also make its debut on the pitch: one more reason to treat yourself to a nice afternoon at the San Siro. 

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The third match in just a few days for the team, the midweek meeting with Cagliari on the horizon. For Pioli, it will be necessary, almost mandatory, to rotate the players and manage their energy: for this reason, there could be changes in the lineup from the last games. One change is guaranteed, that Sportiello will line up between the posts instead of the injured Maignan. Marco showed up in the final minutes against Newcastle and will be able to officially start from the first minute this weekend. After that, it's all up to the coach, but changes in every department are to be expected. The Rossoneri, who resumed training at Milanello on Wednesday, will aim to return to victory after two unsatisfactory results in a row. 

Ahead of the match in his press conference, Pioli said: "Easy matches don't exist, just the desire to interpret them well. The team are doing well. We're confident about what we're doing and eager to produce the right performance against Verona. Right now, we're only focused on our match against them. They're an intense and aggressive side, and we need to be prepared and approach the game well to come away with the three points." 

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LATEST FROM HELLAS VERONA
The Veneti earned their stay in Serie A by winning the play-off for safety against Spezia, but they opened 2023/24 on the right foot: 7 points from the first 4 games, with a significant victory at home to Roma, thanks to goals from Duda and Ngonge. Baroni's team will be fresh from the 0-0 victory against Bologna, however may suffer from some potential absences: Braaf, Dawidowicz, Magnani and Folorunsho are all in doubt for the match at San Siro, whilst Doig will definitely be unavailable due to an ankle issue. There may be some changes in the Tuscan coach's 3-4-2-1. 

The comments from Hellas' coach ahead of the match: "We are working on how to cause Milan problems, not how to defend ourselves. There are matches that we have to experience and face with humility and courage. We can't try to play a waiting game; we have to come to San Siro with drive, will, with respect for the opponent but also awareness."

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan have won all the last five league matches against Hellas Verona, scoring at least two goals every time: this is already the best consecutive victory streak for the Rossoneri against the Veneti in Serie A. It is also the longest current streak of consecutive wins by the Rossoneri against teams participating in this year's championship.
• AC Milan have been unbeaten in nine Serie A games (7W, 2D) against Verona (Hellas' last victory came on 17 December 2017); the Rossoneri only have a longer current unbeaten streak against Cagliari, Lecce (10) and Bologna (16) than against the Gialloblù (9). 
• AC Milan have scored at least three goals in each of the last three home Serie A matches (12 in total, for an average of four per game); the Rossoneri haven't managed a streak of four home matches with at least three goals per game since November 2011 (with Massimiliano Allegri on the bench). 
• Hellas Verona is, with Genoa and Bologna, one of the three teams Alessandro Florenzi has scored the most Serie A goals against (three each); overall the 32-year-old has only contributed to more goals against Grifone (six) than he has against Hellas in the top division (four - one assist on top of the three goals). 
• His next appearance will be Simon Kjær’s 100th for AC Milan in all competitions.  

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WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v HELLAS VERONA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch AC Milan v Hellas Verona in a different country, you can consult the “AC Milan on TV” webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 14:00 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. From 14:55 CEST, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Fabio Maresca will referee AC Milan-Hellas Verona. The Napoletan will take the place of Matteo Marchetti, who was initially supposed to referee the San Siro match. Maresca has refereed AC Milan on twelve occasions up to now in Serie A, with a record of 6 victories, 4 draws and 2 defeats. The last time he refereed us was the Atalanta 1-1 AC Milan draw on 21 August 2022. 

The football weekend started yesterday, Friday 22 September, with two matches: Salernitana 1-1 Frosinone and Lecce 1-0 Genoa. Saturday begins with AC Milan v Hellas Verona at 15:00 and continues with Sassuolo v Juventus at 18:00 and Lazio v Monza at 20:45. The final games of matchday 5 will take place on Sunday, with the midweek games in mind: Empoli v Inter at 12:30, Atalanta v Cagliari and Udinese v Fiorentina at 15:00, Bologna v Napoli at 18:00 and Torino v Roma at 20:45. 

Here are the current standings: Inter 12; Lecce 11*; Juventus 10; AC Milan 9; Frosinone 8*; Napoli, Hellas Verona, Torino e Fiorentina 7; Atalanta 6; Bologna 5; Roma, Genoa* and Monza 4; Lazio, Udinese, Salernitana* and Sassuolo 3; Cagliari; Empoli 0.  (* = one more game played)

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