AC Milan, eight points behind the Serie A leader, aims to get back to winning on Saturday when they play Frosinone at Stadio Benito Stirpe.
After a 2-2 tie with Bologna, Milan is behind the top two teams in Italy, while Frosinone is trying to stop their gradual fall in the rankings.
Match preview
Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice last week but couldn’t celebrate a win as Milan missed two penalties, allowing Bologna to snatch a draw.
Inter Milan, the city rival, increased their lead, thanks to a late penalty converted by Riccardo Orsolini, caused by Filippo Terracciano. Once again, Milan let a struggling team escape defeat.
Milan has conceded 25 goals this season, 17 in the second half, showing their struggle to maintain leads. They are trailing Inter and Juventus, who are likely to fight for the title.
Stefano Pioli’s team, 10 points ahead of fifth place, hasn’t lost in the league for nearly two months and has one of the best home records in Serie A. However, they have been less consistent away from home.
Milan has won their last two away games and now aims for a third consecutive away win for the first time since late 2022.
They face a team they’ve never lost to in Serie A, averaging over two goals per game against Frosinone, who they beat 3-1 in December.
Frosinone had a good run before facing Milan, winning three out of four matches. However, they recently stopped a streak of five losses with a win and a draw against Cagliari and Hellas Verona.
Last week, Eusebio Di Francesco’s team drew with Verona, and Kaio Jorge scored in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw.
Back at Stadio Stirpe, Frosinone has gained 20 points from 11 matches, matching their previous total at this point in their last two Serie A seasons.
With only a five-point gap above the relegation zone, Frosinone faces a tough February with matches against Milan, Fiorentina, Roma, and Juventus.
Frosinone Serie A form:
L L L L W D
Frosinone form (all competitions):
L L L L W D
AC Milan Serie A form:
D W W W W D
AC Milan form (all competitions):
W W L W W D
Team News
Ismael Bennacer is back in training after an injury but Yacine Adli is expected to play with Tijjani Reijnders in midfield.
Matteo Gabbia will likely stay in defense as Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, and Pierre Kalulu are out, and Marco Pellegrino has moved to Salernitana.
Olivier Giroud leads the attack, with Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek supporting. Loftus-Cheek has five goals this season, his best since scoring six for Chelsea.
Frosinone may start new player Emanuele Valeri as several defenders are injured. Ilario Monterisi could also play in defense.
New signings, including Demba Seck from Torino, may join Matias Soule in attack. Soule is close to being the first Frosinone player to score ten goals in a Serie A season.
Frosinone possible starting lineup:
Turati;
Monterisi, Okoli, Romagnoli, Valeri;
Mazzitelli, Barrenechea, Harroui;
Soule, Jorge, Seck
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan;
Calabria, Kjaer, Gabbia, Hernandez;
Reijnders, Adli;
Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao;
Giroud
We predict: Frosinone 1-2 AC Milan
Milan, leading in first-half goals, faces Frosinone, which has conceded the most in the first 45 minutes. Milan might start strong and manage to secure a win against a team losing its momentum.
