Mihajlovic still under the AC Milan cosh as Chievo come to town

The Rossoneri will hope to continue to climb the Serie A table after their win over Sassuolo on Sunday

AC Milan host Chievo at the San Siro on Wednesday night hoping to make it two wins in as many games to ease the pressure on coach Sinisa Mihajlovic.

The Serbian tactician saw his players overcome a stubborn 10-man Sassuolo side on Sunday to secure their first win in four games.

Although the Rossoneri didn’t entirely convince, it would have relieved some of the pressure that had been building as they continued to languish in the bottom half of the Serie A table.

Nevertheless, there is speculation that president Silvio Berlusconi is still not happy despite the win, and he will reserve his praise for Mihajlovic until after the encounter with Chievo.

Wednesday’s visitors have fallen to back-to-back defeats in their last two games, while their winless streak now stretches to four matches.

Injuries and Suspensions

Neither Mihajlovic nor Rolando Maran have any suspensions to be concerned with, but both will have to contend with absentees due to injury.

The hosts remain without Jeremy Menez and Mbaye Niang due to long-term issues, while Andrea Bertolacci will hope to build on his brief appearance against Sassuolo after recovering from a knee injury. However, it is still unclear as to whether or not Mario Balotelli will be fit enough to feature.

As for the Gialloblu, Mariano Izco remains sidelined while Federico Mattiello joins him in the treatment room.

History

Chievo have struggled in this fixture over the years, as they have to go back to December 2005 for their last win over the Rossoneri.

Sergio Pellissier and Simone Tiribocchi were the heroes on that occasion, but they have slumped to 15 defeats and two draws against their illustrious opponents since.

Goals from Sulley Muntari and Keisuke Honda secured the win in the corresponding fixture last season, although the visitors will take some confidence from their ability to hold Milan to a goalless draw the last time they met.

Player to Watch: Carlos Bacca

The Colombian international hasn’t shown all that he can offer as of yet, but he has still managed to score five goals in nine games.

Although the service will have to be better in order to make the most of his attributes, he will be looking to score in the third game running.

Given Milan’s inability to keep a clean sheet, it will be down to the 29-year-old to fire in the goals that continue to lift them up the table.

Probable Line-Ups