Anteprima: AC Milan Women vs Hellas Verona

After doing the thing and making history, the AC Milan Women will be back in action and play their final match of the season this Sunday. They’ll be taking on Hellas Verona then. The match will take place at 15:00 CET (6 am PST / 9 am EST).

Since the team has already qualified for next season’s Champions League, they can use this match to experiment and prepare for the Coppa Italia against Roma on May 30th.

Here’s an overview of what you need to know before this Sunday’s game.

• AC Milan will finish the league second in Serie A Femminile. Their last game against Sassuolo ended in a draw and since Milan have the advantage on goal difference and a head-to-head record, it means that they’ll finish in second, even if they somehow lose to Verona. The latter will most likely not happen though, as Milan has too much quality to throw the match against Verona away. The Rossonere’s current record in the league is 16 wins, two ties, and three losses.
• In contrast, Verona are in ninth place in the league. To date, the team have won six games, tied two, and lost thirteen. With this in mind, Milan will most certainly be the favorites to pull off a win this Sunday.
• Milan will lineup in their usual 3-5-2. There is talk of a turnover happening, with seldom-used players like Deborah Salvatori Rinaldi, Caroline Rask, Giorgia Spinelli, and Claudia Mauri being fielded during the last game of the season. This is being done not only to give the main starters a rest but also to assess what players and tactics should be used in the Coppa Italia final against Roma.
• Verona tends to alternate between fielding a 5-3-2, a 3-5-2, or on occasion, a 4-3-3. Their most likely lineup for this Sunday: Durante; Ledri, Solow, Meneghini, Sardu; Mella, Jelenčić, Nichele (or Bragozi), Motta; Santi, Ambrosi.
• The last time these two teams met was on January 16th. Milan won that match with a solitary goal that was scored by Natasha Dowie with an assist by Linda Tucceri Cimini.
• The Gialloblu’s most talented player is Asia Bragonzi. The Juventus loanee is an up-and-coming, talented player who has been instrumental to the team’s survival in Serie A. Bragonzi also recently signed a contract with Federico Pastorello, who is one of Italy’s super agents. Her signature with the agency is also a sign of the times, as this is the first time the super agent has signed a woman’s player. With Bragonzi signing with Pastorello and fellow Juventina Barbara Bonansea signing with Mina Raiola, it is a sign that women’s football is growing in Italy and is now being seen as a profitable venture.
• Milan will also go into this match with a sense of security, as they’ve recently renewed Verónica Boquete’s contract for another season. Refiloe Jane, Yui Hasegawa, and Christy Grimshaw will also renew their contracts for next season within the upcoming days. This is good news indeed and the best part about all this is the fact that I can keep singing SWV in tribute to these ladies.

Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

• It’s hard to predict a final scoreline, so I won’t do so. What I will say that it is most likely that Milan will win this Sunday’s game. They have the experience, talent, and momentum on their side and unless Ganz decides to do something drastic, it is most likely that Milan will emerge as the winners of this match.

Now, let’s hope the ladies can see out the season with a win before playing for their first-ever trophy.

How to Watch

Milan TV, TimVision, the AC Milan app, and Dailymotion page.