Como vs AC Milan
Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is the venue as Como and AC Milan go head-to-head in their first Serie A encounter since May 2003.
Como’s effort to avoid an immediate relegation to Serie B received another boost at the weekend as they hauled back a halftime deficit to hold 10-man Lazio to a 1-1 away draw. It was their fifth unbeaten league outing in their last six (W2, D3), including back-to-back 2-0 home victories against Roma and Lecce. Making it three in a row against Milan could be a tall order, considering Como’s dreadful 12-game winless H2H run (D5, L7). However, this is their first home meeting with ‘I Rossoneri’ since 2002, giving Cesc Fabregas’ side a chance to rewrite the club’s history. A draw would be acceptable for ‘I Larini’ as they sit only a point clear of the bottom three after posting an unenviable win ratio of 21% midway through the campaign (W4, D7, L8).
Meanwhile, the optimism following a memorable Supercoppa Italiana success in Saudi Arabia quickly vanished upon Milan’s return to Serie A. Indeed, after beating fierce rivals Inter and Juventus in the Middle East, the 19-time Italian champions slumped to a 1-1 home draw to relegation-battling Cagliari on Sergio Conceicao’s touchline debut in Italy’s top flight, making it six winless league matches from their last eight (D5, L1). As a result, they head into proceedings a whopping eight points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio, albeit with a game in hand. Conceicao must address Milan’s indifferent away league record this season (W3, D2, L3) to bolster their hopes of securing a coveted Champions League finish.