AC Milan vs Udinese

Stadio San Siro is the venue as AC Milan and Udinese go head-to-head in a high-stakes Serie A encounter.

Just as it looked like Paulo Fonseca’s tenure was picking up pace on the back of three consecutive Serie A wins, Milan slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina after failing to convert two penalties on the stroke of October’s international break. Back-to-back losses in all competitions and a quarrel with standout performer Rafael Leao have intensified the scrutiny, putting Fonseca in a must-win situation ahead of Udinese’s visit. Staring down the barrel of consecutive league defeats for the first time since February 2023, ‘I Rossoneri’ bid to avenge a 1-0 loss in this corresponding fixture last term and make it four successive Serie A victories at San Siro. After a 2-2 draw against Torino on the opening Serie A weekend, they’ve won their last two home league matches by a combined score of 7-0.

In the meantime, Udinese’s unbeaten four-game start (W3, D1) to this league campaign was at risk of fading after back-to-back defeats to Roma and Inter Milan brought Kosta Runjaic’s side back down to earth. However, the Friulians stemmed the bleeding with a narrow 1-0 home win against Lecce last time out to leapfrog their upcoming hosts in the Serie A standings. A 3-0 thumping at the hands of Roma on their last top-flight travel means Udinese could lose consecutive away league games for the first time since December 2023, with history suggesting they’ll likely endure that fate this weekend. Before the abovementioned win last November, Udinese had gone winless on six straight Serie A visits to Milan (D3, L3).