AC Milan vs Venezia – News and Probable Lineups

AC Milan’s new chapter commenced with an away victory last week, and they are looking to gain further momentum on Friday evening, as Venezia travel to San Siro.

While Ruben Amorim’s debut resulted in a perfect start, newly promoted Venezia suffered a defeat in their first Serie A match.

Match overview

After a damaging late-season collapse last year, Milan aims to rebuild under fresh leadership, with Amorim’s era kicking off in Torino.

Following a transformative summer, the Rossoneri took time to settle, but debutant Alphadjo Cisse and França standout Adrien Rabiot both found the net after halftime, leading to a 2-1 victory.

This win marked Milan’s first season opener victory since 2023, while Amorim made history as their first coach to secure a Serie A debut win in a decade.

Now back at San Siro, the Rossoneri will look to overcome past disappointments from last season, where they notably faltered on the final matchday, facing a defeat against Cagliari that cost them Champions League entry.

In the 2025-26 season, Milan secured less than half of their home fixtures, finishing with the seventh best home record in Serie A – so they are eager to start strong at home this campaign.

After emerging from Italy’s second division last season, Venezia began their return to the top flight against fellow relegation contenders, making Sunday’s clash critical.

Returning to Serie A for the third time in six years, the Lagunari achieved club records in points, goals and wins during a single Serie B season – however, they lost at home to Lecce.

Despite having two goals disallowed, Venezia fell to two strikes from their opponents at Stadio Penzo, prompting coach Giovanni Stroppa to lament their misfortune.

Aiming to break the trend of immediate relegation after their last two promotions, Venezia made some ambitious transfers.

Notably, record signing Nigerian striker Akor Adams scored twice on his debut against Modena in the Coppa Italia, setting up a second-round matchup with Udinese next week.

First, they will face a stern challenge against Milan: the Lagunari have lost all four league encounters between the two sides over the last decade, by a combined score of 11-0.

Team News

Milan, as expected, aligned in Amorim’s favored 3-4-2-1 system against Torino, with club record signing Goncalo Ramos spearheading the attack, and this setup is likely to remain for Friday’s match.

Rising talent Françasco Camarda is the only player in contention to push for a starting place alongside Ramos, with Santiago Gimenez and Rafael Leao both set to depart, and Christopher Nkunku just returning to Leipzig.

Luka Modric was rested in Turin but may return; after Rabiot impressed in a more forward role off the bench, netting a goal and providing an assist, he could replace Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

While Milan has limited injury concerns, Venezia will still be without Marin Sverko and Andrea Adorante – the latter netted 17 league goals last term.

Suffering from a muscular issue, summer acquisition Matias Moreno is also a doubt, which may lead Stroppa to maintain the same back three that played against Lecce.

John Yeboah was involved in 19 goal contributions during the previous season’s sprint to the Serie B title and is expected to partner Adams upfront.

AC Milan probable starting XI:

Maignan; Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Musah, Estupinan; Rabiot, Cisse; Ramos

Venezia probable starting XI:

Stankovic; Schingtienne, Bella-Kotchap, Franjic; Correia, Perez, Busio, Basic, Hainaut; Yeboah, Adams

Venezia’s recent performance against Milan has been poor, and that trend appears set to continue.

In relation to their promoted counterparts, the hosts possess a higher quality across the field, and winning in Turin will relieve some pressure on Amorim.