Serie A minnows, Como, welcome AC Milan to Lombardy for a David vs Goliath clash in the 2024/24 season. Here is a preview.
AC Milan face a tricky away trip to Como with the Italian giants desperately looking for points to recover their underwhelming Serie A season so far.
This will be their first top-flight meeting since 2003, as Milan travel to Como for a league fixture for the first time in over 22 years.
The Voltaics are reborn under their ambitious new owners having finished runners-up in the second division last term, earning a return to Serie A following a 21-year absence. Promotion was secured on the final day of the season against Cosenza, and they are here for more remarkable memories.
Nevertheless, their first game back in the top flight was the toughest assignment possible as they lost 3-0 away to record Italian champions Juventus. That was followed by their first point in a 1-1 draw at Cagliari, then they lost 1-0 to Udinese.
Como were moments away from their first Serie A victory in their first home game of the season against Bologna until Samuel Iling-Junior scored a late equaliser. Cesc Fabregas’ side finally got their first three points in an emphatic 3-2 defeat of Europa League holders Atalanta.
This was followed by another victory with the same scoreline, this time against ten-man Hellas Verona thanks to Patrick Cutrone’s brace. Napoli were victorious in Fabregas’ reunion with his former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte but Como went on to register a 1-1 draw against Parma, their only point in the month of October where they also lost to Torino, Lazio and Empoli.
That poor run almost ended with a lone-goal victory at Genoa until Alessandro Vogliacco’s goal in the dying embers ensured a share of the spoils. They thereafter lost 2-0 to Fiorentina which sent them back into the drop zone with ten points from 13 matches.
Lariani are still finding their feet in the top flight but they will be wary of slipping into a run of defeats which would quickly damage confidence given their league position.
This matchup against Milan is a free hit as they are not expected to win, but they are capable of getting a positive result considering the Rossoneri’s inconsistent form.
The Italian capital side have undergone significant changes after Stefano Piolo ended his five-year tenure at the end of last season to be replaced by Paulo Fonseca.
They hence had to be patient under their new manager who failed to win any of his first three games in charge. A 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool on the opening day of the UEFA Champions League league stage dampened the mood even further.
However, Fonseca got a massive boost in the 2-1 derby win over Inter Milan, their first in six attempts, but results have still been mixed. Performances in the Champions League have nevertheless kept the positives coming in as they recorded consecutive victories over Club Brugge, Real Madrid and Slovan Bratislava.
There have been two draws, one win and a defeat from their last four league games which leaves Milan seventh in the Italian top flight and already ten points behind league leaders Napoli albeit with a game in hand.
Theirs has so far been a chaotic campaign and the fierce battle for this season’s Scudetto means they may find themselves out of contention quickly. Yet, they are more than capable of getting the necessary win against Como to aid their chances of climbing up the league standings.
They are showing their resilience in the Champions League and must translate that into consistent performances in the league. While this trip to Como is a potential banana skin, they must win the psychological battle to try and get maximum points.
Match tickets
This Serie A matchday 19 fixture takes place on Tuesday, 14 January 2025 with kick-off scheduled for 5:30 PM UK time. It promises to be a memorable occasion and match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.
There are unlikely to be any spare seats in the 13,602-capacity Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia when the Italian capital side come to town, so interested supporters must find their match tickets well ahead of time.
We urge those still looking for Como vs AC Milan tickets to find them on a resale site, where AC Milan tickets for other games this season are available.
Team news
The hosts are without Marc Oliver Kempf and Maximo Perrone but they hope to have them available for this encounter.
Milan are struggling with a number of injury worries at the time of writing as the likes of Alessandro Florenzi and Ismael Bennacer are undergoing rehabilitation after surgery. Meanwhile, Luka Jovic remains out with back problems while Emerson Royal and Matteo Gabbia also face some time on the sidelines.
Line-ups
Patrick Cutrone has been Como’s most prolific player this term with five goals so far, meaning he starts with Nico Paz in support. Former Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto will be tasked with controlling the middle of the park for the home side.
Como: Reina; Goldaniga, Kempf, Dossena, Moreno; Perrone, Roberto; Strefezza, Paz, Fadera; Cutrone
Amidst the mounting pressure on him and the team’s underwhelming performances, Fonseca has settled into a 4-2-3-1 formation with Samuel Chukwueze and Rafael Leao occupying the wings either side of Christian Pulisic in the central attacking midfield role.
The midfield double pivot features Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana providing poise and graft, as the centre-back pairing of Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw should be flanked by Emerson Royal and Theo Hernandez in the defence in front of Mike Maignan.
AC Milan: Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
Prediction
AC Milan are without a doubt the favourites to win, but they must prove they want it more on the day. Como will ask questions but the big doubt is whether that will be enough to secure a result from this match.
There should be goals from both sides, with Milan’s quality seeing them through.
Como 1-3 AC Milan