AC MILAN v GENOA: MATCH PREVIEW

After the win in Cagliari, the Rossoneri return to action for Matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Serie A season, the final round of the first half of the campaign. AC Milan v Genoa is an important fixture for both sides, with Allegri's men looking to make the most of their first home match of the year at San Siro. We build up to kick-off with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The busy week of work at Milanello, from Friday 2 to Thursday 8, has proved extremely important, with Allegri's side facing the most demanding period of the season. The match against Genoa will, in fact, be the first of four games in the space of ten days, including the rescheduled away fixture against Como, postponed due to our Supercoppa Italiana commitments. This factor could influence the team selection, although the group of available players remains unchanged compared to the win in Sardinia. After coming on late against Cagliari, Matteo Gabbia could be in line for a start, while up front the partnership of Pulisic and Leão may return, as Nkunku has been ruled out with an ankle problem. Tomori is one booking away from suspension.

"Tomorrow we face a Genoa side that have scored in each of their last ten matches. They also have players of real technical ability," Allegri said in his pre-match press conference. "We need to show great respect, with the aim of taking all three points, as the competition for the Champions League has risen. When you play to win, a single moment can decide an entire season. Mental clarity is required, and that's what allows you to score with your first shot."

LATEST FROM GENOA
The arrival of Daniele De Rossi in the dugout, who did not speak at the pre match press conference, has allowed the Rossoblù to pick up pace after a rocky start and move out of the relegation zone. The recent period, however, has been short on results. A home draw against Pisa, on Saturday 3 January, halted a run of three consecutive defeats, albeit against top level opponents Inter, Atalanta and Roma. There are also issues with player availability. In addition to the already known absentees Siegrist, Cornet, Grønbæk and former AC Milan man Messias, as well as Onana away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Ekuban has been added to the list, ruled out for several weeks with a muscle injury. Up front, in De Rossi's 3-5-2, we might see Vitinha alongside Colombo, with Norton-Cuffy and Martín to watch on the flanks. Østigård will pick up a suspension if booked.

PRE-MATCH STATS

• AC Milan haven't lost any of their seven games against Genoa with Massimiliano Allegri at the helm (W5, D2). Under their current boss, the Rossoneri only have a better record against Bologna and Cagliari (both eight).
• AC Milan and Genoa have drawn in each of their last two meetings in Lombardy in the league (3-3 on 5 May 2024 and 0-0 on 15 December 2024). The two sides have only played out three consecutive draws in Milan once in Serie A: between 1976 and 1981.
• AC Milan have won three of their last four home games in Serie A (D1), and they have kept a clean sheet in three of those. Following the 3-0 win against Hellas Verona, the Rossoneri could score at least three goals in two consecutive home games for the first time since September 2024 (4-0 against Venezia, 3-0 against Lecce).
• Adrien Rabiot has registered three assists in the league this season, including two in his last two appearances. Furthermore, Christian Pulisic (one every 76 minutes) and Rafael Leão (one every 121 minutes) have the best goals-to-minutes ratio of players with more than five goals in Serie A this season.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v GENOA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast live on DAZN. To watch it from another country, you can consult the section "Where to watch Milan on TV" under "Abroad". On Rossoneri channels, the focus will be on Milan TV's Matchday coverage: the live broadcast will begin at 20:00 and run up to kick off, followed by post-match interviews and Mister Allegri's press conference. Coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, the official social channels and WhatsApp is not to be missed.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The referee for the match at San Siro is the experienced Maurizio Mariani. He has taken charge of 22 previous appointments involving the Rossoneri and 18 with Genoa, but this will be his first this season with both teams. Mariani will be assisted by linesmen Bindoni and Moro, fourth official Turrini and VAR Di Paolo, with Paterna as AVAR.

Matchday 19 will conclude with AC Milan v Genoa, preceded by Cremonese v Cagliari at 18:30. In the final round of the first half of the season, the following matches have already been played between 6 and 7 January: Pisa 0-3 Como, Lecce 0-2 Roma, Sassuolo 0-3 Juventus, Bologna 0-2 Atalanta, Napoli 2-2 Hellas Verona, Lazio 2-2 Fiorentina, Parma 0-2 Inter and Torino 1-2 Udinese.

Standings: Inter* 42; AC Milan** and Napoli* 38; Juventus e Roma 36; Como* 33; Atalanta 28; Bologna* 26; Lazio and Udinese 25; Sassuolo and Torino 23; Udinese 22; Cremonese* 21; Cagliari* and Parma* 18; Lecce* 17; Genoa* 15; Fiorentina and Hellas Verona* 13; Pisa 12. ^{(* game in hand; ** two games in hand)}

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