So far, Milan have experienced an up-and-down ride to their season. Sinisa Mihajlovic's side, who won their second league win against Palermo, thus far have yet to draw any of their fixtures and have either earned all three points or zero in their first four games. However, for anyone who watched the Rossoneri taking on the Rosanero, it was a nervy 90 minutes indeed, as the visitors attempted to avoid losing their first match of the season after Oscar Hiljemark equalized twice. Nonetheless, new signing Carlos Bacca's brace was enough to see them through, and certainly, Mihajlovic will be hoping for a better performance as they take on Udinese on the road later today.
Udinese
The 2015/2016 season started off bright for the Zebrette, as Stefano Colantuono's men became the first team to defeat Juventus in a league opener at the Turin giants' home ground. Yet, since then, it has all gone wrong for the team that once were battling the "bigger" clubs for a European football berth. Three straight losses - the most recent to Empoli - have seen today's hosts plummet down the table to sit in 16th place, with just three points from their first quartet of games.
Despite the presence of evergreen forward Antonio Di Natale, Udinese have struggled to find the goals and will be hoping that some of their younger attacking options will be able to step up as they hope to turn things around in front of their home support. Young Iraqi international Ali Adnan - the first from his country to feature in Italy - has looked especially promising in his debut season with Udinese and could be one that Milan's defenders will have to track closely. Colantuono will be without the services of Alexander Merkel, Silvan Widmer, and Guilherme due to injury and Greek midfielder Panagiotis Kone due to suspension. However, this same fixture last season concluded as a 2-1 victory in favor of Udinese, and the Bianconeri will be hoping to enjoy the same result as they want to start working their way up the table.
AC Milan
Given that this is their second season sans European football, Milan's management and their weary fans are hoping that the 2016/2017 campaign will see the Diavolo return to continental competition. Mihajlovic's squad have shown plenty of promise in new signing Carlos Bacca, who has netted three goals so far, and controversial attacker Mario Balotelli was solid in his first "debut" after coming on as a sub in the Derby della Madonnina.
Still, their inconsistency - which has seen them post a record of wins alternating with losses - will be of concern as are their inability to maintain a clean sheet as they have conceded more goals (six) than they have scored (five). Even in their two wins over Palermo and Empoli, the Rossoneri were unable to prevent their opponents from scoring and trying to find a way back into the game.
Like his counterpart, Mihajlovic will have to make do without some personnel, with Jeremy Menez still out due to a back injury. His compatriot, young French starlet M'Baye Niang has yet to feature as a result of a foot problem and new signing Andrea Bertolacci is struggling with a thigh complaint that could see him have to miss out. Meanwhile, Ignazio Abate, who suffered a knock against Palermo and was substituted out may or may not be determined fit enough to feature from the start, meaning that his coach could turn to some of the team's Primavera players to plug the gap. This match could see the possibility of Balotelli being fielded alongside Bacca instead of Luiz Adriano, something that many in the Italian press have been buzzing about as of late.
Although they boast the historical advantage over Udinese - with 36 wins versus their 14 - in recent times, this fixture has not guaranteed an easy three points for Milan. In their last five meeting across all competitions, the Zebrette have emerged victorious on three occasions. In solely league play, Udinese have won their last three home matches against their visitors and five out of the past seven. Interestingly, none of their past seven league matches have finished as draws, with three wins for the Bianconeri and four for the Rossoneri.
Given that Udinese have yet to win a home game - whilst Milan have yet to win a match on the road (including the match versus Inter when they were named as the nominal "away" side) - this clash looks set to be an interesting one indeed as both teams hope to start building up not just wins, but consistency as they aspire to work their way up the ladder.
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