For a club that used to pride itself as being among the top sides in Europe, the concept of two seasons without Champions League - let alone Europa League - football has not sat well with AC Milan fans. The last time the Rossoneri were in the UCL was during the 2013/2014 season; and since then, as a result of poor results, they have not been even able to secure a Europa League spot.
Hope is high that this season will be the last that Milan will be out of continental competition, but as things stand, they have quite a bit of work to do in order to be among the top three sides given a chance to feature in the 2016/2017 Champons League.
AC Milan
Although Milan have only lost one of their past nine games - a 1-0 reversal to Juventus last month - they will be coming into this game feeling a bit devoid of confidence. Sinisa Mihajlovic's men have a relatively easy run of fixtures leading up to the Christmas break, as they are pitted against bottom-ranked sides like Frosinone, Carpi, and Hellas Verona. As such it was expected for them to pick up maximum points in order to move further up the league table and set themselves up well for the upcoming second half of the season.
However, their most recent game - against Serie A debutants Carpi - did not conclude as Diavolo fans would have liked. To their dismay, the team were held to a dull 0-0 stalemate that surely would have felt like a win to struggling Carpi, who currently are still in the relegation zone and a huge loss to Milan, who needed all three points from that fixture. With that disappointing outcome, the team and Mihajlovic are under pressure to produce against Hellas Verona, a team that are dead last in the table and have yet to win a single game all season.
With the club's ever-demanding president expecting a return to Europe next season, Milan will need to have to start stringing together a series of wins to turn their fortunes around. Whilst they failed to make the grade against Carpi they will have another chance to get on track versus Hellas Verona. In terms of personnel, the hosts will have to without the services of Nigel de Jong, Diego Lopez, and Jeremy Menez and Luca Antonelli as well as Mattia De Sciglio are still short of match-fitness. One positive aspect is the return of Mario Balotelli to training earlier this week but he still has not recovered enough from his groin injury and subsequent surgery to feature.
Hellas Verona
Meanwhile, Hellas Verona have endured a horrible time all season. They are still the only team who have not won a game and look set for a return to Serie B. The odds are really against the Gialloblu; as the first and only time (out of 11 past sides) to have failed to win their first 15 games and stay afloat was Varese during the 1970/1971 campaign. In addition, the visitors have failed to win in their past 25 away games against the Rossoneri, and in their last 10 meetings overall, have won just once, losing the other five and drawing four.
To make matters worse, they will not be able to have their fans behind them as away supporters have been banned for this fixture. This was a result of their followers' behavior during the team's 3-2 loss to Frosinone last month, and recently-appointed coach Luigi Delneri has a very tough task ahead on his hands if they want to overcome the massive nine points between them and Palermo, who occupies the last "safe" spot in the table.
Delneri will also be without a host of players due both to suspension and injury. Rafael and Emil Hallfredsson are both banned, whilst Michelangelo Albertazzi, Matuzalem, Samuel Souprayenare all still on the treatment table. And there are doubts about the fitness of Giampaolo Pazzini, Pawel Wszolek, Andrea Badan, and Juanito due to muscular problems.
One bright spot perhaps for the team will be the availability of veteran striker Luca Toni. The 2006 World Cup winner scored 22 goals last season, making him the oldest ever player to receive the Capocannoniere award and was a big part of the team staying in Italy's top flight. He also has a good record of scoring against Milan, with eight goals whilst representing various teams and three whilst in a Gialloblu kit. Unfortunately for the team, his term has been blighted with injury, which has coincided with the team's poor showings and they will be hoping his return will help jump-start their flagging campaign.
Which channel is broadcasting AC Milan vs Hellas Verona on TV or Online?
After their poor showing against Carpi, Rossoneri fans will hope that the team get things right against another bottom-placed opponent. If you are lucky to be in Milan, you may be watching them try to earn all three points against Hellas Verona at the San Siro.
However, if you are not fortunate enough to have the chance to view it live, LiveSoccerTV has plenty of options to catch all the action via TV, computer, phone, or tablet. Here are some choices for fans living in any of these countries:
- In the USA at 9.00 EST on: beIN Sports USA, fuboTV, RAI International, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.
- In Italy at 15.00 CET on: SKY Go Italia, Premium Calcio, Sky Calcio 1
- In the UK at 14.00 GMT on: BT Sport Live Streaming, BT Sport Europe
- In Canada at 9.00 ET on: RAI International, beIN Sports Canada, beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada
If you live outside one of these four countries, check out our special AC Milan vs Hellas Verona page for viewing options and times for your specific location.
*NOTE: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
