On Friday evening, Milan will kick off matchday 27 as the Rossoneri welcome Udinese to the Stadio San Siro. As things stand, Stefano Pioli's side are currently on top of the Serie A table - but only by the slimmest of margins.
Having drawn bottom-ranked Salernitana last time out, Milan indeed were quite fortunate that reigning Scudetto champs Inter ended up suffering a shock 2-0 loss to Sassuolo. Still, the Nerazzurri are only two points behind, and furthermore, Milan's cross-town rivals do have a game in hand.
That means that their upcoming match against another struggling side - Udinese - will be that much more important for Pioli's men to get back on track.
While some Rossoneri fans will be certainly concerned about Milan's wobble last time out, especially as Udinese earned a one-all draw in the reverse fixture, there are some reasons why, on paper at least, this match is firmly tipped in the hosts' favor.
1. Olivier Giroud's impressive form - especially on home turf
The French international will again lead the line with Zlatan Ibrahimovic still on the treatment table, and the former Chelsea and Arsenal striker has quickly grown into a fan favorite at the Stadio San Siro. So far, he's scored ten goals in 24 appearances across all comps. Seven of those have been in Serie A, and interestingly, all of them have happened on home turf.
2. Udinese have struggled for results at the Stadio San Siro
The Zebrette, who presently sit in a very precarious 16th spot, have won just one of their last five and have historically struggled at Milan's home ground. Indeed, they've won just five times at this stadium in club history, while losing 25 and drawing 16. Their last win was back on September 11, 2016, when they earned a 1-0 victory on matchday three of the 2016/17 Serie A season.
3. Udinese's frustrations on the road in general
Finally, not only have Udinese failed to score in their last three away matches, but also they've also won just one of their last 11 in their travels - which doesn't bode well in their favor heading into Friday's contest.
