Genoa vs Milan

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AC Milan has begun the season in excellent form, securing victories in six of their first seven matches. Their only loss came against arch-rivals Inter Milan, who currently lead the league table. However, Milan is closing the gap, with only a one-goal difference between them and Inter.

On the other hand, Genoa has had a less favorable start, winning only two of their initial games, which places them in 14th position. While they've managed to earn some points through surprising results, their defense has been a cause for concern, conceding 11 goals this season.

During the summer, AC Milan made some significant acquisitions, strengthening their position in the league. Players like Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who arrived from Chelsea, seamlessly integrated into the squad. Additionally, contributions from Yunus Musah, Noah Okafor, and Samuel Chukwueze have been noteworthy in the early part of the season.

With established players like Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud starting the season on a positive note, it's expected that they will maintain their strong start with another away win as they aim to build upon their impressive season opener.

Olivier Giroud has been synonymous with goal-scoring since his time in the Premier League, and he has continued this trend in Italy over the past few years. In the current league season, Giroud has made six appearances, finding the net in four of them. Over those six games, he has averaged more than two shots per match, and if we look back to the previous season, this figure was even higher, with over three shots per game.

On the flip side, Genoa has conceded at least one goal in each of their first seven matches. In their three home games, they've allowed the opposing teams to score seven times. This vulnerability could spell trouble for Genoa because AC Milan poses a significant offensive threat that may prove challenging to contain. Olivier Giroud, in particular, is poised to leave his mark on the scoresheet.

However, there's always the possibility that Giroud might not be in the lineup. In such a scenario, an appealing alternative is Noah Okafor, who has been averaging a goal every 84 minutes. If he gets a rare start over Giroud, he could provide excellent value, though Giroud remains the top choice.

Genoa surprised many fans when they defeated Jose Mourinho's struggling Roma side 4-1 at home just a few weeks ago. However, it's important to note that during that game, they only had possession of the ball for an average of 29%, which has been a recurring issue for them this season as they struggle to maintain control in matches.

In contrast, Milan typically focuses on quickly advancing the ball up the field, utilizing their fast-paced attack to their advantage and creating opportunities across the pitch. Despite having an average possession rate of 54% in their games so far, it's likely that they will dominate possession even more in this week's matchup.

Given this, it's probable that Genoa will accumulate more fouls and receive more yellow cards in the game. When playing at home, Genoa typically collects three yellow cards per match, with Martin Frendrup being responsible for all three in their recent games. Frendrup leads Genoa in both tackles and fouls and has played every minute of their first seven fixtures in midfield. With Milan's fast-paced style and Genoa's lack of possession, there's a good chance that he could receive his fourth yellow card of the season on Saturday.

Although they have yet to score in the Champions League, AC Milan, who are now ranked second in Serie A, return to domestic action on Saturday in Genoa.

With one exception, Stefano Pioli's team is doing exceptionally well in the Italian top division even though Milan has only earned two points from their first two Champions League Group F games.

The Rossoneri have already amassed 18 points in Serie A, which ranks as their third-best total at this time in the 21st century and is also enough to join their city rivals at the top of the league. Their lone defeat was a 5-1 derby thrashing by Inter.

After seven games, Milan last had that record in the Scudetto-winning season of 2021–22, and before that, about 20 years ago. Last week, Milan defeated Lazio 2-0 at home thanks to goals from summer arrivals Christian Pulisic and Noah Okafor, who also scored at San Siro.

Considering that the race appears to be wide open at this point in the proceedings, all of this is encouraging for aspirations of a title challenge this term.

All of this is encouraging for aspirations of a title campaign this season, since the race appears to be wide open at this juncture in the game, especially with Napoli still playing below their best and both Rome clubs lagging behind.

Pioli will want to win more games on the road in Serie A after stopping Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Milan's poor road performance cost them a shot at second place last year.

Their five league losses since February have all come as the away team, but they can now head to Marassi with a strong recent record against Genoa behind them: Milan has won four of their previous five league games against the Grifone at Stadio Ferraris.

In fact, Genoa's last home victory against the guests this week occurred in October 2016, and before being demoted a few years ago, the Ligurian squad had only won one of the previous nine Serie A games between the two teams.

The Grifone, currently led by former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino, have improved after being destroyed by Fiorentina on the first day of the season to earn eight points from their next six games. Last weekend's late own goal barely prevented them from taking two more points.

Gilardino's team appeared to be on track for victory against Udinese at the Dacia Arena when in-form forward Albert Gudmundsson scored twice during the first half, but Alan Matturro's stoppage-time blunder cost the hosts a 2-2 draw.