Key Battles and Prediction: AC Milan vs Udinese

AC Milan host Udinese at the San Siro this afternoon as Stefano Pioli looks to break the blip from last week. The draw against Udinese in 2021 and the draw last week against Salernitana cannot be repeated. Milan will need to keep it tidy at the back to win this one. Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Left winger vs Right back

Gerard Deulofeu vs Davide Calabria

The winger has 7 goals and 2 assists thus far in the league and is in some good form. The attacker will be looking to press Calabria to the edge and cut back. Milan struggled to deal with his dribbling in the reverse fixture but he can be kept at bay if Tonali and Kessie drop back to add some muscle for him to deal with. The winger will also be darting crosses in for Beto at the back post and this needs to be stopped.

Centre back vs Striker

Alessio Romagnoli vs Beto

The 24 year old striker wrecked us last time we faced Udinese tearing open the defence with his pace and putting us in a tricky position. Milan will need to support Romagnoli so as to not get a one-on-one showdown with him as an early goal could hurt us again. Romagnoli will need to be aggressive and to ensure there is no early goal which forces us to chase the game and settle for a draw again. Moreover, his leadership need to show this afternoon as the side needs to be motivated to get all three points.

Striker vs Centre back

Olivier Giroud vs Rodrigo Becao

The striker returns to his favourite pitch in Serie A and needs to get back to scoring. This is his fifth consecutive start but has struggled to influence the previous two games hence will need to go toe to toe with Becao especially in the air. Giroud needs to improve his contributions off the ball especially with his positioning. The more space he can find to exploit, the better the odds for one of the wingers or Diaz to pick out a key pass.

Predictions

Calabria Winner

Romagnoli Winner

Giroud Winner