AC Milan take on Crotone in Serie A on Saturday afternoon, with the duo both looking to end runs of matches without a win in the Italian top-flight. Gennaro Gattuso has not enjoyed the best of starts to his tenure in charge of the hosts, with the pressure now on the Italian giants to record a comfortable victory over their struggling opponents.
Italian Serie A – San Siro, Milan – Saturday 6th January – 14:00 UK Time
|
Draw Best Odd of: 17/4 at Ladbrokes |
|
AC Milan
CrotoneMatch Preview
AC Milan take on Crotone in the Italian top-flight this weekend, with the two sides both requiring victories for different reasons. Despite the home side being the firm favourites for victory, their form of late has demonstrated that it could be anything but comfortable, with their opponents looking for a positive result in their battle against relegation. For those still unsure of who to pick when placing a bet ahead of kick-off, be sure to check out our top tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two sides, starting with Italian giant’s AC Milan.
AC Milan Team News & Form
AC Milan battled to a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina in their final match of 2017, with new boss Gattuso undoubtedly looking for a change of fortunes at the start of the new year. A lack of goals has certainly effected Milan’s progress this season, with the home side having scored just 24 goals from 19 matches ahead of kick-off this weekend. No Milan player has scored more than five league goals all season, with the pressure on Nikola Kalinic and Andre Silva to start delivering in front of goal. Having scored against Fiorentina last time around, Turkish international Hakan Çalhanoğlu could well earn himself a recall to the starting eleven.
Crotone Team News & Form
Two successive defeats against Lazio and Napoli have left Crotone in the bottom three in the Serie A standings, with the hosts having the worst goalscoring record in the league ahead of their trip to the San Siro. However, manager Walta Zenga will be quietly confident of causing an upset in Milan on Saturday, with the likes of Federico Ceccherini and Ante Budimir among their most talented players. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen as to whether Stefan Simic will earn a place in the Crotone team against his parent club.
Head to Head
The two teams have met four times in the past, with AC Milan having won three of such meetings, as well as registering one draw. However, Crotone battled to a 1-1 draw in front of their home fans last season, before coming unstuck 3-0 at the San Siro in August.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite their lack of form, their status as the home team and standing in Italian football means that it comes as little surprise that it is Milan who are the firm favourites for victory in the odds from major bookies. Those looking to back the home side can take advantage of odds of 1/3 with Ladbrokes, while the visitors are available at odds of 8/1 with the same bookmaker.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Milan to keep a clean sheet on Saturday, which is available at odds 5/6 ahead of kick-off at William Hill.