It is ninth against eighth in Serie A as AC Milan host Fiorentina at the San Siro in Serie A on Saturday night, separated by just four points in the table.
The Rossoneri have got two difficult fixtures out of the way against the current top two in the division – they lost 2-1 away at second-placed Napoli last time out in Serie A, before drawing 1-1 against bitter city rivals and league leaders Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia. They did win their previous two games before that though.
In contrast, Fiorentina come into this fixture off the back of three straight wins in all competitions, although all three were on home soil. They have lost their last four on their travels, with a 2-1 win against Lazio in January their previous away victory.
The visitors did defeat Milan 2-1 in the reverse fixture earlier this season, ending a two-game losing streak against their opponents.
How the bookies view it: Milan odds-on favourites
As per BoyleSports, Milan are 4/5 odds-on favourites to take all three points, which is perhaps surprising given their recent form and their inferior position in the league table. Interestingly, a draw and a Fiorentina win are priced the same at 13/5 with the same bookmaker.
Recent head-to-head: Fiorentina emerge victorious
As mentioned, Fiorentina were 2-1 winners on home turf in the reverse fixture, with Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson scorers for the hosts. Christian Pulisic netted for the visitors.
The game also saw two red cards, one for Theo Hernandez and Fiorentina head coach Raffaele Palladino. Six yellow cards were given on top of that, including to then Milan manager Paulo Fonseca.
It could be another ill-tempered affair with the teams so close in the table, and Bet Victor are offering a healthy 29/20 price for Over 6.5 total cards.
Players to watch: Abraham aiming for another start
Tammy Abraham may have earned himself a start over Santiago Gimenez given his goal against Inter last time out.
There should be no doubts over who leads the line for Fiorentina, as Moise Kean will be hoping to add to his winner at home to Atalanta last time out. Back the Italian to do so at 9/4 with BoyleSports.
Predicted lineups
Alex Jimenez is suspended for Milan, but Yunus Musah is expected to recover from illness.
Robin Gosens could return from injury for Fiorentina, and the former Inter man will want to do everything to start.
AC Milan: Maignan, Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez, Fofana, Bondo, Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao, Abraham.
Fiorentina: De Gea, Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri, Dodo, Fagioli, Cataldi, Mandragora, Gosens, Gudmundsson, Kean.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both sides have scored in four of the last five H2Hs, so the Both Teams To Score (BTTS) market could be explored. BoyleSports are offering 8/13 with BTTS.
This Serie A match between AC Milan and Fiorentina will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best AC Milan vs Fiorentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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