Chievo’s good run of results came to an end as they were hammered by Empoli, and the Flying Donkeys aim to make things right with a good performance against AC Milan. The Rossoneri have started to show some improvement, but they desperately need to record several good results in a row and restore the lost confidence.

Two important wins for Chievo

Nobody is really surprised to see Chievo in the Serie A danger zone as they have been in this position endless times over the last decade, but they always seem to find a way to survive. It would appear as though the Flying Donkeys cope much better with the pressure surrounding the relegation tussle than most other sides and they were not panicking even when the run of three straight defeats to Fiorentina, Juventus and Napoli saw them slip in the bottom three. Chievo instead produced the perfect response, recording back to back wins over Parma and Sampdoria to seriously improve their survival chances. This is why nobody at the club was too concerned by the heavy loss to Empoli, although with games against Milan, Roma and Genoa next, the Bentegodi outfit cannot afford to relax just yet. Seeing as they are well aware of the Rossoneri’s defensive problems, Chievo will be looking for every chance to hit them on the break and with both sides expected to adopt a positive approach, a high-scoring encounter appears on the cards. Rolando Maran’s side scored four goals in last three home games despite only facing top 6 sides, and they can be trusted to score against Milan as well.

Winger Ruben Botta is suspended, whereas defender Nicolas Frey has a back injury. Alberto Paloschi is tipped to start up front alongside Riccardo Meggiorini.

Promising signs for Inzaghi

It is perfectly clear that this AC Milan team are still in the making, but club chiefs have finally started making the right moves. Everybody could see that the Rossoneri were in desperate need for a proven goalscorer and with Mattia Destro arriving from AS Roma and Alessio Cercio also joining, Pippo Inzaghi’s charges should be much more dangerous up front in the second part of the season. And while there is no time to address defensive issues at the moment, Milan will probably heavily rely on their front line to score enough goals and help the team secure European qualification. After quite a while, the Rossoneri not only have some impressive attackers in the starting line-up, but also on the bench, with the likes of Honda, Pazzini and Cerci ready to be called into action when things are not going according to plan. Following the under-par performance in the 1-1 draw with Empoli, Milan seriously raised their game to defeat Cesena at their San Siro, and they will now be out to end a seven-match winless run on the road.

January recruit Gabriel Paletta is doubtful, but Zapata, De Sciglio, El Shaarawy, Abate, Mastour, Zaccardo and Rami are definitely out.

Verdict

Chievo have raised their game of late, but the 3-0 loss to Empoli is enough to suggest they will struggle to contain the likes of Destro, Menez and Bonaventura. Meanwhile, Milan still have serious problems at the back, but their attack appears to be in fine working order.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   2.40 (7/5) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   2.00 (1/1) @ Coral

Alternative pick 2: Away win   2.55 (14/9) @ BetVictor