The Matchday 17 Serie A fixture between Verona and AC Milan will take place on December 20 at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium. Verona vs. AC Milan: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Livio Marinelli (Italy)
Matches – 14 (Serie A, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 59;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 21%.
Predicted lineups for Verona vs. AC Milan
Verona (3-4-3): Lorenzo Montipo – Diego Coppola, Pawel Dawidowicz, Daniele Ghilardi – Džekson Tchatchoua, Ondrej Duda, Reda Belhaj, Darko Lazovic – Tomas Suslov, Amin Sarr, Abdu Harroui.
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan – Alejandro Jimenez, Malick Thiaw, Matteo Gabbia, Emerson Royal – Tijjani Reijnders, Youssouf Fofana – Samuel Chukwueze, Mattia Liberali, Rafael Leao – Tammy Abraham.
Starting lineups from each team's last match in this tournament are provided.
Verona
Paolo Zanetti's side defeated Parma 3-2 away in the previous round. This result ended Verona's four-match losing streak in the league and marked their fifth victory in the current Serie A season. Notably, the team has conceded at least two goals for the 11th time this season. In the standings, the club has managed to climb out of the relegation zone, now sitting in 17th place with 15 points.
Defender Martin Fröze and midfielder Abdu Harroui will miss the game due to injuries.
- The team has not won in 7 of their last 10 home matches in Serie A (1 draw, 6 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 11 of the club's previous home league fixtures.
- Verona has conceded at least two goals in 6 of their last 7 home Serie A matches.
AC Milan
In the last round, Paulo Fonseca's side could not overcome Genoa at home, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Consequently, AC Milan has failed to win in four of their last five league fixtures (3 draws, 1 loss). However, the club has recorded its seventh clean sheet this Serie A season. In the standings, Milan is eighth with 23 points, trailing the top six by five points.
Defender Alessandro Florenzi, midfielders Ismael Bennacer, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic, and forwards Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor will miss the game due to injuries.
- The club has not won in 8 of their last 10 away matches in Serie A (4 draws, 4 losses).
- Both teams have scored in 7 of the team's last 8 away league matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Milan's last 8 away Serie A fixtures.
Verona vs. AC Milan: Match Prediction
At home, Verona aims to play openly and create as many attacking opportunities as possible. This style has resulted in goals, with the team scoring in 15 of their last 18 home league matches, including at least two goals in eight of those games. However, they have been defensively vulnerable, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last seven home Serie A matches, conceding a total of 21 goals.
AC Milan also favors an attacking approach and often succeeds in breaking down defenses. In their last 27 away league games, the club has failed to score only once, netting at least two goals in 17 of those matches. However, their defense lacks reliability, conceding in 10 of their last 12 away Serie A fixtures, with 12 goals conceded in away matches this season.
I expect a high-scoring encounter in this matchup, so my prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
