Fresh off a morale-boosting derby win on Saturday, Milan return to the UEFA Europa League today as they face Ferencvaros at San Siro. There’s little margin for error here as the Rossoneri bid to bounce back from a frustrating start to this season’s league phase.

Diego Moreira stole the show as Milan beat fierce rivals Inter 3-1 last weekend to claw their way back to a top-four conversation in Serie A. Ruben Amorim’s charges have only lost once in their opening ten league fixtures (W6, D3), but they’ve struggled to translate that form to the continental scene.

Except for a 4-0 rout of RB Salzburg, inspired by Alphadjo Cisse’s first European hat-trick, Milan have lost their two remaining Europa League matches without scoring, including a 2-0 defeat to Benfica in their only outing on home soil. With nothing but goal difference setting them apart from 28th-placed Torreense, the Rossoneri cannot afford another setback here.

In stark contrast to Milan’s stuttering start, Ferencvaros have gone from strength to strength in the opening three rounds. Balasz Borbely’s men have won all three Europa League games this season to one, including a 4-1 thumping of Torreense last time out. Their only away win came in Glasgow on day one, when they thrashed Celtic 3-1.

Match Preview

Milan

After going down to Benfica on matchday one, Milan could lose back-to-back home matches in a single European campaign for the first time since 2010/11. However, Amorim’s men have since fared impressively at San Siro, winning three of their last four competitive home games (L1).

It’s also worth noting that Milan scored precisely three goals in each of those three victories, highlighting their remarkable attacking potential. Delivering action from the get-go, the Rossoneri have found the net within the opening 25 minutes in their last four home fixtures.

Defensive frailties have marred Milan at this stadium, as they’ve managed just one clean sheet across their last five home matches, conceding multiple goals three times in that run. Addressing that issue would significantly boost Milan’s chances of extending their unbeaten overall record against Hungarian opposition (W2, D2).

Ferencvaros

Although San Siro has not been a happy hunting ground for Hungarian clubs, few would bet against Ferencvaros here. In addition to their flawless European campaign so far, Borbely’s men have excelled in their domestic championship, stringing together an eye-catching 20-game unbeaten run in all competitions since July (W13, D7).

Spirits should be high in the visiting camp, with Ferencvaros racking up a four-game winning streak in the build-up to this trip. Each of those four victories came by a multi-goal margin, testifying to their growing confidence and attacking threat. Indeed, they scored at least four goals in three of those four wins.

However, Ferencvaros have never beaten Italian opposition on the road in four previous attempts (D2, L2). They must buck that unwanted trend if they’re to win four consecutive games in a major European competition for the first time since the 1967/68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup when they won six in a row on their way to the final.

Team News

Despite the high-stakes nature of this clash, Amorim is likely to reshuffle his starting lineup after a superb win in the Milan derby. Therefore, Omari Hutchinson, Ardon Jashari, Davide Bartesaghi, and Alpha Cisse could all return to the starting XI, with Moreira likely to start on the bench after a career-defining performance against Inter.

Samuel Chukwueze, Matteo Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Fikayo Tomori are all recovering from injuries. With Mike Maignan suspended after being sent off in a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth, Lorenzo Torriani should make a rare senior start for Milan.

As for Ferencvaros, Matus Bero and Bence Otvos are unavailable for this trip. Free-firing duo Kristoffer Zachariassen and Dele Yusuf have combined for five goals in this season’s league phase and are likely to pose a major threat to Torriani’s goal in this showdown.

Milan vs Ferencvaros Potential Starting Lineups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Torriani; Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi; Musah, Jashari; Hutchinson, Cisse, Pulisic; Ramos

Ferencvaros (4-2-3-1): Radnoti; O. Nagy, Zohore, Gomez, O’Dowda; Maiga, A. Nagy; Arzani, Zachariassen, Birmancevic; Yusuf.

Milan vs Ferencvaros Prediction

This fixture has all the makings of a ‘must-win’  clash for Milan, and after putting Inter to the sword on Saturday, it’s reasonable to expect the Rossoneri to continue in the same vein here. Ferencvaros won’t go down without a fight, but we expect the San Siro giants to take an all-important three points.

Prediction: Milan to Win

Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football