Image Source: The Football Faithful
Key Takeaways
- AC Milan will face Genoa at the San Siro on Thursday evening, looking to continue their 16-match unbeaten run in the league.
- Milan will be without striker Santiago Gimenez, who is sidelined until late January, and Christopher Nkunku is doubtful due to a persistent thigh and ankle problem.
- Genoa is struggling with a long list of injuries, including Jean Onana, Junior Messias, Albert Grønbæk, and Maxwel Cornet, and will rely on Lorenzo Colombo to lead the line.
- The match will be available to watch live on DAZN for UK fans.
- AC Milan is currently at the top of the Serie A table, while Genoa is fighting to avoid relegation.
Introduction to the Match
The upcoming Serie A encounter between AC Milan and Genoa is set to take place on Thursday evening at the San Siro. As noted by the team’s manager, Massimiliano Allegri, "We hope to have him back in Florence (vs Fiorentina on Jan 11th), as the knock on his ankle is still bothering him" regarding Christopher Nkunku’s injury. Milan will be looking to continue their impressive 16-match unbeaten run in the league, as well as their head-to-head record against Genoa, which sees them undefeated in their last nine meetings.
AC Milan Team News
AC Milan will be without striker Santiago Gimenez, who underwent surgery on his right ankle in December and remains sidelined until late January. As Allegri stated, "Yesterday, he trained separately, but tomorrow he’ll be available" regarding Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s availability. Christopher Nkunku remains doubtful for Thursday’s fixture after training individually due to a persistent thigh and ankle problem. Despite concerns over their fitness, both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are expected to start together for only the second time in Serie A this season. New signing Niclas Füllkrug made an encouraging debut off the bench against Cagliari, and Allegri praised the German striker’s impact: "He entered the game very well. Tonight, he was very useful with his headers and in protecting the ball".
Genoa Team News
Genoa’s injury list continues to mount as they fight for survival. Jean Onana remains on international duty with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations and will miss the trip to Milan. Junior Messias, Albert Grønbæk, and Maxwel Cornet are all sidelined with muscle injuries and are not expected to return until mid-January. Goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist is also out until mid-January with a broken finger, while Sebastian Otoa is a doubt after sustaining a thigh injury in training. Lorenzo Colombo, on loan from Milan, is expected to lead the line for Genoa. The young striker scored against his parent club earlier in the season while playing for Monza and netted in Genoa’s 1-1 draw with Pisa last weekend.
Form and Predictions
AC Milan made a winning start to 2026 with a 1-0 victory at Cagliari on January 2, courtesy of Rafael Leao’s second-half strike. That result temporarily moved them to the top of the Serie A table, though Inter reclaimed first place with a 3-1 win over Bologna the following day. Genoa, on the other hand, is entrenched in a relegation battle, sitting 17th in the table with just 15 points from 18 matches. They are only three points clear of the relegation zone and desperately need results to ease the growing pressure. The predicted lineups for the match are: AC Milan: Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao. Genoa: Leali; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vazquez; Norton-Cuffy, Malinovskyi, Frendrup, Thorsby, Martin; Vitinha, Colombo.
Conclusion and How to Watch
The match between AC Milan and Genoa is set to be an exciting encounter, with Milan looking to continue their unbeaten run and Genoa fighting to avoid relegation. As Allegri noted, "He entered the game very well. Tonight, he was very useful with his headers and in protecting the ball" regarding Niclas Füllkrug’s debut. The match will be available to watch live on DAZN for UK fans. With both teams facing different challenges, it will be interesting to see how they perform on Thursday evening at the San Siro.