AC Milan can take over top spot in the Serie A standings with a win over Genoas Alberto Malesani men at Luigi Ferraris on Friday evening.
Milan have been in imperious form of late, winning six of their last seven Serie A games and giving Barcelona a scare in the Champions League. The Week 5 loss to Juventus that left the Rossoneri six points behind the Bianconeri has proved to be a big turning point for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who have embarked on an unbeaten run and closed the gap to two.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri will be without the services of Alessandro Nesta who is out for three weeks after sustaining a hip injury in the Champions League loss to Barcelona last week. Daniel Bonera will likely partner Thiago Silva in the Italian's absence.
Marco Amelia may get the nod to start between the posts on Friday after Christian Abbiati trained apart from the rest of his team-mates on Wednesday.
It’s a taste Genoa have savoured this season, but they’ve also fallen as low as 12th, and are currently 9th, illustrating the topsy-turvy nature of their form under Malesani. Despite several votes of confidence from President Enrico Preziosi in recent weeks the pressure has continued to mount on Malesani, who claimed someone is “playing dirty tricks” to take his job after the Grifone’s latest defeat, in Cesena last Sunday.
This is a fixture with a troubled past – Milan fans weren’t permitted to attend their team’s fixtures in Genoa for 16 years after the murder of Vincenzo Spagnolo outside the Ferraris in 1995 - but will be present on Friday after the ban was lifted last season.
Genoa’s goal getter in chief Rodrigo Palacio is suspended whilst teammates Ze Eduardo, Cesare Bovo and Luca Antonelli are injured. Alessandro Nesta, Mathieu Flamini, Christian Abbiati and Mark Van Bommel join long term Milan absentees Antonio Cassano and Rino Gattuso, who have been invited to the game by Marco Rossi in a nice gesture by the Genoa captain.
Genoa:Frey; Dainelli, Kaladze, Moretti;Mesto, Merkel, Veloso, Constant,Rossi; Caracciolo, Jankovic
Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Thiago Silva, Bonera, Antonini; Aquilani, Ambrosini, Nocerino; Boateng; Ibrahimovic, Robinho
