AC Milan vs. Monza | Serie A | Pre Match
AC Milan vs. Monza
AC Milan will receive a spiky reception when they face Monza at San Siro in their Serie A finale on Saturday night, a match that encapsulates the deep disappointment of a season gone awry for one of Italy’s most storied clubs. The atmosphere at the iconic stadium is expected to be charged with frustration, as the club’s ultras, the Curva Sud, have announced plans to stage a dramatic walkout on the 15-minute mark, a symbolic gesture to express their discontent with the team’s performance and the club’s leadership. In their own words, the ultras intend to leave the players and directors “alone with their shame,” a stinging rebuke that reflects the depth of disillusionment among Milan’s passionate fanbase. This protest is not merely a reaction to a single poor result but a culmination of months of underperformance, marked by a campaign that has seen Milan plummet to unfamiliar depths. For a club accustomed to competing for titles and European glory, the prospect of finishing outside the European qualification places for the first time since the 2015-16 season is a bitter pill to swallow. The San Siro, once a fortress where Milan’s triumphs were celebrated with fervor, now feels like a stage for airing grievances, as fans grapple with the reality of a team that has lost its way under the weight of inconsistent results and mounting injuries. The clash with Monza, a relegated side with little to play for, offers Milan a chance to salvage some pride, but the shadow of the ultras’ protest and the team’s recent struggles looms large over what should be a routine fixture.
The club’s ultras will walk out on 15 minutes to, in their words, leave the players and directors “alone with their shame,” following a disastrous ending to the season that has left Milan languishing in ninth place. The decision to stage such a public demonstration underscores the growing rift between the supporters and the club’s hierarchy, with fans pointing to a lack of ambition and poor decision-making as key factors in Milan’s decline. The 2024-25 season began with cautious optimism, as the arrival of manager Sergio Conceicao midway through the campaign was seen as a potential turning point. However, instead of galvanizing the squad, Conceicao’s tenure has coincided with a regression that has left Milanists reeling. A 1-0 defeat to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final last midweek was a crushing blow, not only because it ended Milan’s hopes of silverware but also because it exposed the team’s lack of cutting edge in crucial moments. This was followed by another loss at Roma, a result that confirmed Milan’s exclusion from the top six and, consequently, European competition for the next season. The Rossoneri’s ninth-place standing, with 16 defeats across all competitions, puts them on the brink of equaling their joint-highest loss tally in a single season, a dubious record set in 1973-74, 1996-97, and 2013-14 with 17 losses. For a club with seven European Cups and a storied history of domestic dominance, such a statistic is a stark reminder of how far Milan have fallen. The ultras’ walkout is not just a protest against the players but a broader indictment of a club that has struggled to recapture its former glory despite significant investment in recent years.
For the first time since 2015-16, Milan will finish outside the European places in Serie A, after capitulating late in the campaign, a collapse that has left fans and pundits alike searching for answers. The Rossoneri’s season has been defined by inconsistency, with moments of promise overshadowed by a series of self-inflicted wounds. Form at San Siro, traditionally a stronghold, has been particularly alarming, with Milan on course to record one of their lowest home win tallies in the 21st century. A victory against Monza is essential to avoid matching the eight home wins recorded in the 2007-08 and 2020-21 seasons, a statistic that underscores the team’s struggles on their own turf. While Milan have been ruthless against the division’s weaker sides, winning 10 of 11 matches against the current bottom six, their inability to maintain consistency against stronger opponents has been their undoing. The Roma defeat, in which key players like Santiago Gimenez were sent off and Rafael Leao was benched, highlighted the disciplinary and tactical issues that have plagued Conceicao’s side. The absence of key defenders Theo Hernandez and Kyle Walker, coupled with injuries to Samuel Chukwueze and Warren Bondo, has further depleted an already stretched squad. Conceicao, who arrived with a reputation for instilling discipline and tactical clarity, has struggled to impose his vision, with Milan’s performances often lacking the cohesion and intensity required to compete at the highest level. The Monza match, while winnable on paper, will test Milan’s ability to rise above their recent woes and deliver a performance that can at least offer a glimmer of hope for the future.
Monza will bow out of the top flight at the league’s most iconic venue, but their campaign has been nothing short of disastrous, with just three wins from 37 matches marking one of the worst seasons in Serie A history for a 20-team campaign. The Brianzoli, who enjoyed mid-table finishes in their first two seasons after promotion, have been woefully out of their depth in 2024-25, amassing a mere 18 points and suffering 25 defeats. Only Chievo Verona in 2018-19 and Salernitana in 2023-24 finished with fewer points, a statistic that underscores the scale of Monza’s struggles. Manager Alessandro Nesta, a former Milan legend, returns to San Siro with a heavy heart, knowing that his team’s relegation is already confirmed. The solitary bright spot in an otherwise bleak season was a surprise victory at Udinese, which ended an 11-match losing streak on the road, but a subsequent 3-1 home defeat to Empoli highlighted the team’s fragility. Monza’s squad has been ravaged by injuries, with key players like Roberto Gagliardini, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Silvere Ganvoula, Matteo Pessina, Armando Izzo, and Omari Forson ruled out for the Milan clash. The return of Pedro Pereira from suspension and Keita Balde’s recent goal-scoring cameo off the bench offer some hope, but Monza’s chances of upsetting their more illustrious opponents appear slim. Gianluca Caprari, who has contributed to goals in Monza’s last two matches, will be a key figure, though his personal record against Milan—12 losses in 14 meetings—does not inspire confidence. For Nesta, the match is an opportunity to salvage some pride and bid farewell to Serie A with a performance that reflects the resilience his team has occasionally shown.
Milan’s struggles and Monza’s woes set the stage for a match that, while lacking the title-deciding drama of other fixtures, carries significant emotional weight for both clubs. For Milan, the absence of Gimenez, Hernandez, Walker, Chukwueze, and Bondo forces Conceicao to rely on the likes of Luka Jovic, who will lead the line, and potentially Rafael Leao, whose future at the club remains uncertain amid speculation of a summer departure. Leao, a talismanic figure when at his best, could be given a final chance to shine at San Siro, a fitting send-off for a player who has been both a star and a source of frustration. Monza, meanwhile, will look to players like Balde and Caprari to provide a spark, but their depleted squad and poor form make an upset unlikely. The broader context of the match—Milan’s fall from grace, the ultras’ protest, and Monza’s relegation—lends it a melancholic air, with both teams eager to end the season on a positive note. For Conceicao, a win could provide a small measure of redemption, while for Nesta, it would be a chance to honor his legacy at San Siro. As the final whistle approaches, the focus will not only be on the result but on what it signifies for two clubs at opposite ends of the Serie A spectrum, each grappling with their own challenges and aspirations for the future.
