AC Milan are desperate to get a string of consistent results going, and the first step would be to get the three points in Saturday's match, when they host top-four contenders Napoli at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Last season Napoli defeated AC Milan 3-2 in Naples and grabbed a goalless draw in the reverse Serie A fixture, but in the Italian Cup it was AC Milan who managed to get a 2-0 win. Overall, Napoli have won three of the last six direct meetings in all competitions, while the Rossoneri have won just one.
AC Milan don't seem to do much better under new head coach Stefano Pioli, Federico Giampaolo got sacked at the start of October for his poor results but the new boss only managed to win one of his five matches in charge. Moreover, AC Milan lost consecutive matches before the international break, 2-1 at home against Lazio and 1-0 at defending champions Juventus. The fans didn't want Stefano Pioli in the first place, so if the team doesn't start winning then the new boss might find himself out the door sooner than expected. Hakan Calhanoglu and Ismael Bennacer are suspended for this match, while Samu Castillejo is injured.
Napoli are not having a great season either, they are without a win in their last five matches in all competitions and the players have started some sort of revolt against chairman Aurelio de Laurentiis. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti definitely has enough experience to turn things around, but things might get out of hand if the team doesn't start winning soon. Napoli are currently down in seventh place, no less than 13 points behind leaders Juventus. Arkadiusz Milik is unavailable for Saturday's match due to an abdominal injury.
Probable line-ups:
AC Milan: Donnarumma - Conti, Duarte, Romagnoli, Hernandez - Krunic, Biglia, Paqueta - Suso, Piatek, Rebic
Napoli: Meret - Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Rui - Allan, Ruiz, Zielinski - Lozano, Mertens, Insigne
My prediction:
Both teams will be determined to avoid defeat in this match, and I think their struggle will lead to a 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for this match at NetBet:
AC Milan win - 3.10
Draw - 3.45
Napoli win - 2.25
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