Cremonese vs AC Milan – News and Probable Lineups

After suffering a significant setback to their title aspirations last week, AC Milan need to bounce back with a victory against struggling Cremonese on Sunday afternoon.

A 1-0 loss to Parma marked the end of the Rossoneri’s impressive unbeaten streak in Serie A, leaving them 10 points adrift of their city rivals, Inter de Milão.

Match overview

Having gone 24 league matches without a defeat, Milan finally stumbled last Sunday when a late winner from Parma shocked the crowd at San Siro in the 80th minute.

While the validity of that goal was hotly contested afterward, a VAR check confirmed its legitimacy, and the Rossoneri were unable to equalize.

With 12 matches left, they are trailing league leaders Inter by 10 points, making hopes of clinching the Scudetto look increasingly faint.

Max Allegri’s side previously required a last-minute winner to defeat lowly Pisa, followed by a 1-1 draw at home against Como, indicating a troubling loss of rhythm.

Nevertheless, Milan remain unbeaten away from home, their only other defeat in the league coming against Cremonese on the opening day.

This weekend, they meet their Lombardy rivals again at Stadio Zini, where Milan have been unable to score in their last three visits, although only one of those occurred this century.

In light of their club’s unexpected triumph in August—when Federico Bonazzoli’s goal secured a notable 2-1 victory—hopeful Cremonese supporters will aim for a historic league double over Milan.

However, achieving this feat for the first time by a promoted team since Ascoli in 1987 appears quite improbable, especially as Cremo has struggled severely since the start of the new year.

The Grigiorossi are currently enduring their second-worst run in Italy’s top division, failing to score in 10 of 12 winless outings, with their last victory recorded in December.

Last week’s 3-0 defeat to Roma at Stadio Olimpico allowed Fiorentina to overtake them in a crucial battle involving six clubs trying to avoid the final relegation slot.

Consequently, Davide Nicola’s team is precariously close to the relegation zone, sitting 17th in the standings and only outside the drop zone on goal difference.

With Nicola’s position becoming increasingly insecure, their campaign to return to the top division may be heading towards demotion, just a year after winning the Serie B playoffs.

Team News

Following a serious facial injury sustained last Sunday, Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to be sidelined for several weeks. It’s uncertain if Matteo Gabbia will recover from a flexor issue in time.

Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez is the only other absentee for the visitors, while key scorers Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao have recently returned to full fitness.

Alongside the latter two, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug are also vying for positions in the attacking setup.

Luka Modric is expected to start in midfield, leading to a meeting between the two oldest scorers in Serie A this season: the 40-year-old Modric and the 39-year-old Jamie Vardy.

Cremonese’s attacking line is facing a prolonged drought, prompting Nicola to bench Vardy last week; Bonazzoli has yet to score in this calendar year.

They will again have to compete with Antonio Sanabria and Vardy’s fellow veteran Milan Djuric for a spot in the lineup.

The hosts will be without Michele Collocolo, Faris Moumbagna, and key defender Federico Baschirotto due to injuries, though Milan loanee Warren Bondo returned to the bench against Roma and might be set to start.

Cremonese probable starting XI:

Audero; Terracciano, Folino, Luperto; Zerbin, Thorsby, Bondo, Maleh, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy

AC Milan probable starting XI:

Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Jashari, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao

With Milan sitting third in Serie A for clean sheets, Cremonese has struggled to find the net in their last three matches at Stadio Zini.

This suggests the Rossoneri should manage to control their hosts effectively while netting at least a couple of goals themselves.