AC Milan Vs Benevento
AC Milan Vs Benevento Saturday 1st May 2021 – 19:45
Italian Serie A
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 28th April 2021)
Preview: A third consecutive Serie A defeat for AC Milan on Saturday, when they welcome struggling Benevento to San Siro, would inflict further damage on the club’s hopes of finishing inside the top four come the end of the season.
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Table of Contents
AC Milan – Grip on top four loosened?
It took until the 6 January for AC Milan (W20 D6 L7) to incur their first league defeat of 2020/21, and it took the reigning Serie A champions, Juventus, to inflict it. A further six losses would follow, all since the turn of the year, as the exciting prospect of a first Scudetto for ten years is replaced by the desperate realisation that even qualifying for next season’s Champions League is suddenly in peril.
Monday’s 3-0 loss at the Stadio Olimpico to Lazio made it back-to-back Serie A defeats (they were also beaten at home by Sassuolo), with Milan now level with fourth-placed Juventus. The Old Lady retain the upper hand, however, on account of their vastly superior goal difference. The sides are scheduled to meet in Turin next weekend. In the meantime, the Rossoneri must avoid conceding further ground.
September 2019 was the last time Milan lost three consecutive matches in Serie A, before the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede has scored once since the middle of February, though, as his influence shows signs of waning. Meanwhile, Milan continue to toil in the defensive third. It is now seven league games without a clean sheet, conceding in each of the last six (W1 D2 L3) when on hosting duties.
Benevento – Demotion beckons unless results improve?
With the teams above them rediscovering their habit for winning, it is crucial that Benevento (W7 D10 L16) start doing the same. Filippo Inzaghi’s men slipped into the bottom three following a 4-2 defeat at home to Udinese during the previous round, putting them level on points with Cagliari and Torino – sides with far healthier goal differences who also happen to be timing their returns to form perfectly.
Torino have won two of the last five, picking up eight points, while Cagliari are seeking a fourth straight win when they head to Naples to take on a Napoli side in the hunt for a top-four finish. Both appear to have the wind beneath their sails, which is more than can be said for Inzaghi’s men. Benevento have collected two points from the last fifteen available having won once in seventeen league games (D7 L9).
Ironically that sole victory would come against reigning champions Juventus, one of the teams currently rivalling AC Milan for the Champions League places, in a shock 1-0 scoreline in Turin. That one of five away wins for Gli Strefoni on the road – a tally better than nine other sides, including Roma, and only one shy of Juventus – having lost just once away from home in the last four (W1 D1 L2).
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AC Milan Vs Benevento Betting Advice
Just the two goals came when these sides met earlier in the season, in a 2-0 win for AC Milan. With neither in a position where they can afford to contemplate losing on Saturday, we could be treated to a few more at the San Siro on Saturday. Five of the Milan’s last six league games featured three or more goals, while Over 3.5 Goals has delivered in four of the last five Serie A matches involving Benevento.
AC Milan Vs Benevento – Key Facts:
- At the third attempt, AC Milan secured a maiden victory over Benevento when these sides met in January. A 2-0 win keeping the Rossoneri top of Serie A.
- Ahead of Saturday’s reverse encounter, Milan have since slipped four places to fifth following successive defeats to Sassuolo (1-2) and Lazio (3-0).
- Benevento have won only one of their past 17 Serie A matches – a 1-0 win away to Juventus – but claimed five of their seven victories for the season away from home.
Filippo Inzaghi’s visitors also tend to fare better on their travels. Five of their seven wins in Serie A so far this term were away from home, scoring in 75% of away fixtures. This includes a combined five goals in recent outings in Genoa (2-2 draw) and Lazio (5-3 loss). Meanwhile, Milan have conceded in each of the last six home league games, winning only once, but have only failed to score on three occasions at the San Siro.
Best Betting Odds – AC Milan Vs Benevento
AC Milan – 4/11 (Betway)
Draw – 19/5 (888sport)
Benevento – 9/1 (BetVictor)
