AC Milan vs Reggina

AC Milan return home to the Stadio San Siro following a tough loss on the road in their big match away to Juventus, to host the relegation threatened Reggina in week 34 of Serie A. Reggina were able to pick up a very important victory at home that allows them to keep their chances of survival alive and though the foe they face this week is very dangerous.

AC Milan lost to Juventus by a score of 3-2 in the derby match at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. The loss dealt a big blow to the midsection of the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti as they were unable to gain any ground on 4^th place Fiorentina. The viola now have 56 points while the rossoneri have 52 and remain 4 points out of the last spot for the Champions League. It was the second defeat in 3 games for Milan. This week the club is expected to have a number of absences this including Ronaldo, Jankulovski and Emerson while Bonera and Ambrosini are out suspended. On a bright note, Pato, Kaka’ and Seedorf appear ready to start.

Reggina were able to win for the first time in over a month with a most important 1-0 victory at home over Sampdoria. With said victory Reggina climbed to 18^th place in the Serie A league table with 30 points on the present campaign. While Reggina are still in the relegation portion of the log, they now find themselves only 1 point back of Parma which is the club they must catch if they are to avoid the drop in 2008. Reggina will need to play almost flawless defense against AC Milan as they have had a lot of trouble scoring of late as evidenced by their 2 goals in 4 games. The confirmed absences for this game are the injured Montiel and the suspended Cascione.

It is extremely difficult to make a case for Reggina having a chance to win this contest. In 16 road matches this year they have managed 7 draws with 9 losses. Meanwhile, they have scored 8 goals while conceded 29 in this 16 games. A defensive record such as that one going up against the likes of Seedorf, Pato, Kaka’, Gilardino and company does not inspire too much confidence. Look for Milan to take out their frustrations from last week on Reggina.

Prediction: AC Milan (2-0)