19 October 2024. 7:00 p.m. Milan. “Giuseppe Meazza”
Serie A, Matchday 8
Where to watch: The figs
Injured: Florenzi, Bennacer, Sportiello, Calabria – Sanchez, Thauvin, Christensen
Suspended : Hernandez (“Milan”)
Milan vs Udinese : Cotes des bookmakers
Milan
Rafa Leao was one of the key players for the Portuguese national team in their matches against Poland and Scotland. In the first match, his solitary run through midfield led to a shot that hit the post and a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, while in the second match he created a goal opportunity that Bruno Fernandes n could not convert. These performances contrast sharply with the irregular performances of the Portuguese player for “Milan”. “When I’m here with the Portuguese national team, I feel supported by everyone. The coach believes in me and that’s fundamental for my game,” said the AC Milan winger. Many in Italy interpreted this as a dig at Paulo Fonseca, suggesting that Leao does not enjoy similar support from his coach at Milan.
Overall, Fonseca faced significant criticism in Italy for his inability to effectively manage the dressing room, particularly due to the constant rotation of the captain’s armband. These toxic voices intensified following Milan’s defeat against Fiorentina the previous day. “Do you think we lost because of a technical or tactical problem? In my opinion, the opponents simply had more desire to run,” Fonseca told reporters.
Udinese
Udinese overtook Milan in the standings with their victory against Lecce, climbing to fifth place. “Maybe the opponent is not in their best moment and does not meet expectations, but Milan still has a very talented team. This team remains one of the strongest in Serie A. We will try to make Milan players chase the ball – let’s see if we can achieve that. We learned from our defeat against Roma,” said Kosta Runjaic. He will have to implement his game plan without captain Florent Thauvin, who is still experiencing pain in his ribs.
However, overall, the Udinese coach returned to work after the international break with a smile on his face. He was particularly excited about Zebras striker Lorenzo Lucca’s debut with the Italian national team (“And right in our stadium!”), even though he only spent 6 minutes on the pitch. “Our goal is to make Lorenzo a stable starter for the national team,” said the coach.
Milan vs Udinese: Author’s prediction
Milan will be without key full-backs Theo Hernandez and Calabria, while Udinese will have to do without Thauvin and Sanchez. The visitors will look to contain Milan and capitalize on counterattacks. I predict that the Friulians’ plan will only work until halftime – in the second half, Fonseca’s team will put pressure on the opponent.
