Milan look to regain top spot as they welcome relegation-threatened Crotone on February 7

Topics: TV Schedules, AC Milan, Crotone, Serie A

With Inter winning their match against Fiorentina on Friday, the onus will be on Milan to pick up all three points in their tie with Crotone to regain top spot.

Preview: Milan vs Crotone

A lopsided fixture awaits as Scudetto contenders Milan welcome relegation candidates Crotone to the Stadio San Siro on Sunday. The Rossoneri have currently slipped into second spot following Inter's 2-0 win over Fiorentina on Friday, and with teams like Roma and Juventus inching their way up the table, Stefano Pioli's men will view this upcoming match as an easy way to pick up three additional points. The clash featuring Roma and Juventus could see some changes in the league standings, or nothing at all if both sides cancel each other out in a draw.

Regardless of whatever takes place in the Juve-Roma match, Milan will look to get back to winning ways. After a strong first half of the season during which they went undefeated, the Diavolo have now lost two of their last five league games. Both of these defeats took place on home turf: the first was a 3-1 reversal to Juventus, and the second was a shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta. That means that Pioli's side haven't won a home game in Serie A since beating Torino 2-0 on January 9th, but will have a pretty golden opportunity to fix that at Crotone's expense.

The hosts have won their last three meetings with Crotone, while keeping clean sheets, so anything but all three points here will certainly be a huge - and unwanted - surprise for Milan, who are hoping to win their first Scudetto in ten years. Meanwhile, Crotone, who narrowly escaped relegation a couple of seasons ago, may not be so lucky this time around. The Squali have won just three games all season, while shipping a league-high 46 goals. Although one of those wins comes in their most recent five matches, their away record is not anything to write home about.

In fact, Crotone not only have lost their last four away matches, but also have yet to win a single away fixture this season. Only one other side in Europe's "Big 5" leagues can join this miserable club - fellow relegation candidates Schalke. Giovanni Stroppa's squad have earned a measly two points from their travels, and they've never beaten Milan in their five prior encounters since arriving on the Serie A scene (four losses, one draw).

Team news: Milan vs Crotone

Milan: Hakan Calhanoglu has finally recovered from his bout of COVID-19 and will definitely return to the starting XI, but Simon Kjaer and Brahim Diaz remain out injured. However, new signing Mario Mandzukic has seemingly recovered from his own injury problems and could potentially get involved from the bench.

Crotone: Junior Messias is suspended for this match, while Adam Ounas and Luca Cigarini are out with thigh and calf injuries. In addition, Pedro Pereira is struggling with a calf issue and may end up having to miss this tie.

Match facts: Milan vs Crotone

Milan have lost just two of their last 32 Serie A games
The Rossoneri have not just won their last three meetings with Crotone...
...but they've also kept a clean sheet over that time-frame
Crotone have lost their last four away matches
The Squali are also one of just two teams in Europe's "Big 5" leagues who've yet to win an away game this season