Verona’s Resurgence and Milan’s Away Struggles: A Clash of Fortunes in Serie A

The club’s sustained belief in coach Paolo Zanetti appears to be yielding results for Hellas Verona, who ended their four-match losing run in Serie A with an impressive 3-2 success over Parma in their latest outing. Verona’s second triumph in nine league fixtures (L7) was sufficient to lift them out of the relegation zone, and they now hold a single-point lead over the bottom three ahead of this clash.

After allowing nine goals during the opening half of their last two home league contests, Verona will be eager to begin more strongly here. They have still managed to secure two victories from their previous five games (L3) on home turf, with the last three featuring an exciting total of five goals per game. But anticipate a decisive result here, as Verona remain one of just two teams across Europe’s traditional top-five leagues yet to record a draw this season (W5, L11).

AC Milan head to Verona following a frustrating 0-0 stalemate with Genoa on Sunday night, where they missed an opportunity to make the most of a historic evening as they commemorated their 125-year milestone. The outcome left Milan with only one victory from their last five Serie A matches (D3, L1), leaving them five points adrift of the top six.

Milan’s previous away game against Atalanta (L 2-1) marked their first competitive trip in five outings to end in defeat (W3, D1), but it was also the third consecutive match where Paulo Fonseca’s squad conceded at least two goals. More broadly, Milan remain the sole Serie A club from last season’s top five that has yet to achieve 10+ points on their travels (W2, D2, L3), underscoring their struggles away from home this campaign.

Key players to watch: If Verona suffers another shaky first half, Darko Lazović might be the one to address it, as four of his Serie A strikes have come in the 15 minutes immediately following the interval. Visiting Rafael Leão thrives against Verona, having never lost a personal head-to-head (W7, D2) and scoring three goals in his last three appearances against them.

Notable stat: Milan have found the net before half-time in each of the last five head-to-head meetings, leading 1-0 at the break in the most recent three.