Fiorentina vs AC Milan : Key Battles and Predictions

Match day for AC Milan following back to back losses this past week. Fiorentina on the road is usually a tough one for us with only one win in the past five but the circumstances are dire for us. Milan literally cannot afford to lose otherwise Champions League football could be in peril. Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Left striker vs Right back

Franck Ribery vs Diogo Dalot

This is a scary one. Ribery is the creative force setting up Vlahovic and presents a huge goal scoring threat too. Dalot is not experienced in Serie A and has shown defensive frailty compared to Calabria and Kalulu. Ribery will disturb us down that left wing and will look to get on goal early on. Dalot will need to balance his runs forward and be sure not to allow Ribery to wrong foot him.

Central defensive midfielder vs Central midfielder

Sandro Tonali vs Giacomo Bonaventura

An all-Italian match up. A former Milanista with his replacement (not like for like). Bonaventura’s experience has shown him to be a huge threat for Fiorentina and his passing can easily break the lines. Tonali will have his hands full not allowing Jack to make late runs into the box nor distribute the ball with Amrabat, Ribery and Vlahovic. Tonali also has a role to play in keeping the ball flowing for Milan.

Striker vs Central defender

Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs German Pezzella

Ibrahimovic looks set to start and will want a goal. Pezzella will have other plans as he will look to physically limit the striker and combine with Milenkovic to outmuscle Milan’s attack. This will be a key match up as if Ibrahimovic can’t beat Pezzella we will struggle to find a goal. We also need to watch Dragowski as he has been a nuisance for us in the past and also can pull off crazy saves on his day.

Predictions

Ribery Winner

Tonali Winner

Ibrahimovic Winner