Hellas Verona vs AC Milan

Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi forms the backdrop for a lopsided Serie A showdown between relegation-battling Hellas Verona and top-four hopefuls AC Milan.

Hellas Verona’s quest to secure Serie A survival despite losing 11 first-team players during the January transfer window due to financial turmoil is back on track. Back-to-back 1-0 victories against fellow bottom-half strugglers Lecce and Sassuolo have propelled ‘I Gialloblu’ to safety. However, a two-point lead on 18th-placed Frosinone means the job is far from done, especially as they’re about to take on a Milan side they’ve failed to beat in their last ten H2Hs (D2, L8). Bucking that trend and keeping a clean sheet in the process would see Verona register three consecutive Serie A wins ‘to nil’ for the first time since 2000. But that’s easier said than done, considering they’ve lost the last four league meetings between the sides at this venue, failing to get on the scoresheet twice.

Another shutout could be on the cards for Milan as they squeaked past Verona 1-0 in the reverse fixture. Last weekend’s identical home triumph against Empoli saw ‘I Rossoneri’ leapfrog Juventus into second, but their title hopes are still dead in the water. With 16 points separating them from table-topping Inter ahead of the kick-off, even a fifth consecutive win in all competitions would probably prove insufficient to close the distance. On a more positive note, Stefano Pioli’s side thumped Slavia Prague 3-1 in midweek Europa League action to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against Roma as 7-3 aggregate winners. Milan will seek an early opener to consolidate their chances of taking three points at Bentegodi, knowing they’ve gone unbeaten in all 23 Serie A games when taking the lead this season (W18, D5).