Serie A Preview: Venezia vs Milan – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Venezia’s Serie A survival is potentially on the line as they meet mid-table Milan in a ‘make or break’ contest at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo. Sunday’s league action gets underway at 12.30 CET, with Eusebio Di Francesco’s charges seeking three improbable points against more esteemed rivals.

Only a point separates 18th-placed Venezia from 17th-placed Lecce ahead of the kick-off. However, it could’ve been the other way around had it not been for Tino Anjorin’s 87th-minute equalizer in a goal-glutted 2-2 draw at fellow bottom-half rivals Empoli last weekend.

Empoli’s late fightback maintained a nasty tradition that has seen Venezia squander a league-high 28 points from winning positions this season. Had they managed to retain even half of those 28 points, they’d be comfortably sitting in mid-table.

Instead, Venezia must fear for their top-flight status heading into the last five rounds. Ominously, four of those five matches pit them against top-half opposition, starting with Sunday’s meeting with Milan. Yet, this league campaign has been anything but inspiring for the visitors.

Stranded in ninth, eight points adrift of sixth-placed Lazio, Sergio Conceciao’s men will likely seek European qualification through Coppa Italia glory. Indeed, Luka Jovic’s double inspired Milan to a stunning 3-0 win against bitter rivals Inter in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

As a result, Milan will lock horns with Bologna in their first Coppa Italia final since 2018. Meanwhile, they’ll hope to build momentum in the league and bounce back from a 1-0 home loss to Atalanta last weekend.

Match Preview

Venezia

Despite their unenviable position in the Serie A standings, no one can write Venezia off before the kick-off. Di Francesco’s charges have recently defied their ‘whipping boys’ tag, avoiding defeat in seven of their last eight competitive outings (W1, D6), with only Bologna beating them in that sequence.

It’s worth noting that their sole victory in that period came against dead-last Monza on home turf. Venezia’s hope of avoiding immediate relegation to Serie B now hinges on winning back-to-back home matches in Serie A for the first time since January 2000. But they’ve only won a quarter of their league fixtures at Pier Luigi Penzo this season (W4, D5, L7).

Low scoring has been a common theme in Venezia’s recent contests despite the abovementioned draw at Empoli. Indeed, their last 11 league games have ended goalless at halftime, with nine featuring under 2.5 total goals at the final whistle. That highlights the potential for an uneventful affair and the possibility of dodging another catastrophe.

Milan

Milan humbled Venezia 4-0 in September’s reverse fixture at Stadio San Siro, making it four consecutive league wins against this opposition. With three seeing the Rossoneri score three or more goals, they’ll be confident of building on a midweek thrashing of Inter as they bid to avoid their worst Serie A finish since having had to settle for 10th place in 2014/15.

While a sub-par run of one win from four league matches doesn’t bode well (D1, L2), Milan can turn to their formidable form against Serie A’s minnows for inspiration. They have won all six encounters against current bottom-four teams this season, keeping a clean sheet on five occasions. That bolsters the visitors’ quest to beat Venezia ‘to nil’ for a fourth time on the trot.

Though it would likely have little impact on their slim top-six hopes, Milan cannot afford to take the season finale lightly. The ignominy of a mid-table finish looms over Rossoneri’s heads, also thanks to their indifferent away league record in 2024/25 (W7, D2, L7). Furthermore, they have alternated between winning and losing across their last four Serie A road trips (W2, L2).

Team News

Venezia cannot count on first-choice goalkeeper Filip Stankovic and long-term absentees Richie Sagrado and Michael Svoboda. However, Daniel Fila returns after serving a one-game suspension and will likely lead the line at the expense of Christian Gytkjaer.

On the other hand, Milan potentially lost Matteo Gabbia to injury against Inter, meaning Malick Thiaw could fill the vacant spot in defense next to Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic. With Ruben Loftus-Cheek back from injury, Emerson Royal remains the only high-profile absentee.

Venezia vs Milan Potential Starting Line-ups

Venezia (3-5-1-1): Radu; Schingtienne, Idzes, Cande; Zerbin, Perez, Nicolussi Caviglia, Busio, Ellertsson; Yeboah; Fila.

Milan (3-4-3): Maignan; Tomori, Thiaw, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Jovic, Leao.

Venezia vs Milan Prediction

Conceicao’s formational change has reinvigorated the slipping giants, with Milan showing plenty of promise in recent matches, culminating with a scintillating performance against Inter. With nothing to lose, the Rossoneri should put relegation-threatened Venezia to the sword.