AC Milan vs Monza

AC Milan is bracing for a hostile atmosphere when they take on Monza at San Siro in their final Serie A match on Saturday evening.

The club's ultras plan to stage a walkout at the 15-minute mark, intending to leave the players and management to confront their disappointing season in solitude, as they put it, "with their shame."

For the first time since the 2015-16 season, Milan will miss out on European qualification, having faltered significantly toward the end of the campaign. A 1-0 loss to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final last week was compounded by another defeat at Roma, cementing their position outside the top six.

Despite Sergio Conceicao taking the helm mid-season, Milan have slipped to ninth place, with little chance of climbing higher regardless of the outcome against Monza. Fiorentina and Bologna, both two points ahead, can secure their positions with minimal effort—Bologna with a win, and Fiorentina with just a draw, thanks to their better head-to-head record against Milan.

With 16 losses across all competitions this season, Milan are on the verge of matching their worst-ever seasonal defeat tally, a record set in 1973-74, 1996-97, and 2013-14 with 17 losses. Their home form has been particularly lackluster, and a failure to win here could see them tie their lowest number of home victories in a 21st-century season (eight, previously recorded in 2007-08 and 2020-21).

However, facing a struggling Monza side could provide some relief. Milan have dominated lower-table teams this season, winning 10 of 11 matches against the current bottom six. They’ve also had Monza’s number, securing four victories in five Serie A encounters since Monza’s promotion three years ago, including both home games, where they scored seven goals.

Monza, on the other hand, will exit the top flight at one of Serie A’s most storied stadiums, capping a forgettable 2024-25 campaign. With only three wins in 37 matches, they’re on track to post one of the lowest points totals in a 20-team Serie A season, surpassed only by Chievo Verona (2018-19) and Salernitana (2023-24), both with 17 points compared to Monza’s current 18.

After finishing mid-table in their first two Serie A seasons, Monza’s drastic decline this year, marked by 25 defeats, has exposed their struggles to compete at this level.

Manager Alessandro Nesta, returning to the stadium where he forged much of his illustrious playing career, may take some comfort from Monza’s recent away win at Udinese, which snapped an 11-game road losing streak. However, that rare bright spot was quickly overshadowed by a 3-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Empoli last weekend.