Serie A 2024/25: AC Milan face tricky Como test
11.3 || webmaster

AC Milan will bid to keep their European qualification hopes alive when they go head-to-head with Como at the San Siro on Saturday.

Milan recovered from two goals down to claim a much-needed 3-2 victory at Lecce last weekend – a result which left them ninth in the table.

The sportsbooks attached to the betting industry’s preferred pay-by-mobile gaming sites rate Milan as the favourites to pick up another three points this weekend.

They head into the game six points behind sixth-placed Bologna, and desperately need to string together a winning run to keep their European ambitions alive.

Manager Sergio Conceicao was delighted with the manner of the comeback at Lecce, and praised his players for digging deep in the face of adversity.

"We had a little more time during the week to prepare for the match, we knew Lecce's strengths and weaknesses," Conceicao told DAZN.

"We had two goals disallowed - in the second half we didn't come in as we wanted and they scored the second goal. It seemed difficult to turn it around, then our character came out.

“I put on offensive players and in the end it went well. I have to compliment the team for how they worked during the week with the right attitude that I really liked."

While Conceicao is unlikely to remain with Milan beyond the end of this season, he remains determined to enjoy a successful end to the campaign.

Milan are eager to qualify for Europe via their league position, but they could also grab a place in the Europa League by winning the Coppa Italia.

With the Champions League no longer a distraction following the defeat against Feyenoord, the Milan boss has more time to work with the players on the training ground.

Having guided Milan to the Italian Super Cup title this season, winning the Coppa Italia would be an excellent way to crown the campaign.

However, Conceicao’s primary focus will be on improving Milan’s league position. With ten games remaining Milan are eight points adrift of the top four.

Given they were one of the favourites to secure Champions League qualification, it is fair to say that things have not gone to plan this season.

Defensive issues continue to plague Milan – a point evidenced by their tally of eight goals conceded in their last four outings in Serie A.
Conceicao was renowned for his defensive organisation while he was in charge of Porto, but his methods are yet to have a positive impact on Milan.

He will likely employ a 4-2-3-1 formation against Como, with Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders pushed into an advanced role where he can be more effective.

Christian Pulisic will also be vital to Milan’s hopes of success this weekend. His brace at Lecce took his tally to eight goals and eight assists in 24 league appearances this term.

He will fancy his chances of adding to his haul against a Como side which has conceded 44 goals in 28 league matches during the 2024/25 campaign.

Como have proved they can be troublesome in recent weeks, recording victories over Fiorentina and Napoli to ease themselves away from the relegation zone.

While Milan would be foolish to underestimate the threat they pose, these are the type of games they should be winning if they harbour genuine hopes of European qualification.

With the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter Milan on the horizon, Milan must ditch the inconsistency which has plagued them this season.

Note: This news item was first published on (and belongs to) the site mentioned in the source, right below the heading. We would like to show our appreciation to them for letting us manually syndicate their content. In case the source is acmilan-online.com, then you've guessed: it's one of our masterpieces. ;)