AC Milan v Carpi Tips | 21st April 2016 | BT Sport Europe

Carlos Bacca - Milan

THREE winners from Mark O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) from Serie A on Wednesday night. Can he deliver the goods again on Thursday night?

AC Milan v Carpi | Thursday 19.45 | BT Sport Europe

Cristian Brocchi is Milan’s fourth head coach since Max Allegri was sacked by Silvio Berlusconi back in January 2014. You do wonder whether the Rossoneri president regrets such a decision.

The move to axe Sinisa Mihajlovic last week was just another episode in the sacking circus at the San Siro. Berlusconi is desperate for Milan to be back in Europe but his vanity project is suffering from the lack of stability or vision at the club.

Mihajlovic was never Milan’s best tactician but he’s well capable of producing performances from a mediocre bunch of players. The Serbian was sent packing after a five-match winless streak since February, a run of results that brought Sassuolo within a point of sixth-placed Milan and the final European qualification spot.

Latest Podcast: Gambla Podcast 174 - WeLoveBetting Weekend Preview

But Brocchi guided the Rossoneri to a scratchy 1-0 success at Sampdoria in his debut match on Sunday night and with Sassuolo stuttering, Milan bow boast a three-point cushion ahead of seventh.

Brochi switched systems from 4-4-2 to a 4-3-1-2 at the weekend but it’s fair to say Milan were far from convincing in victory. Emiliano Viviano did pull of an incredible save from Carlos Bacca before the Colombian netted the only goal of the game but Samp were denied an early goal by a wrong offside call.

Juraj Kucka is now suspended for Thursday night’s match but Brochi has options available as he bids for back-to-back wins. The new man in charge is keen to release the shackles in the home camp with the Rossoneri’s biggest problem in 2015/16 clearly their lack of creativity going forward.

Bacca’s hit he target with 67% of his shots this season but the star striker is only averaging 1.90 shots-per-game and Milan need to address that statistic. Provide opportunities to the former bus conductor and the Rossoneri should reap the rewards.

This won’t be a walk in the park for the Italian giants. Carpi upset the odds to smash Genoa 4-1 on their travels at the weekend and have now lost just twice in eight (W3-D3-L2) to sit a point above the Serie A relegation zone.

The Biancorossi haven’t been higher than ninth this term and although they’ve taken just three points from a possible 42 (W0-D3-L11) when taking on the top-eight, Fabrizio Castori’s spirited troops are awkward opponents.

An aggressive high-tempo pressing game has caused the likes of Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio and Napoli major problems whilst their December clash with Milan saw Carpi claim a well-earned 0-0 draw. With a tricky run-in that includes home games against Empoli and Lazio and a daunting trip to Juventus, the Biancorossi will be determined not to leave empty-handed.

Scoring has been Castori’s charges’ biggest issue. Saturday’s win was the he first time all year they had scored more than twice in a game, and they’ve scored the league’s sixth-fewest goals this season. On eight occasions already they’ve fired blanks on their travels.

The Serie A debutants aren’t normally accustomed to playing twice in a week and I do have concerns over whether the plucky visitors will be ready and conditioned for another 90-minute slog after their weekend efforts.

Despite playing against 10 men, Carpi still offered Genoa opportunities on Saturday and their high line could easily be exposed at San Siro. Considering Milan have returned W18-D6-L4 results when entertaining bottom-half teams since 2013/14, the Rossoneri deserve to be favoured as hosts.

But with 16 of those 28 fixtures featuring fewer than three goals, I’m not expecting a one-sided contest.

Since Carpi settled in the Italian top-flight, the Biancorossi have recorded Under 2.5 Goals winners in seven of their last 11 road trips so I’m going to have a wee interest in the 11/8 offered from SkyBet on Milan to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – four of the guests five losses at top-half teams would have seen this selection pay out.

Best Bets

AC Milan v Carpi – AC Milan to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 (11/8 SkyBet)

Want TWO Free Bets And £5 Cash?

Are you yet to sign-up for a betting account at Ladbrokes, Netbet, Bet365, Coral, BetBright or BetVictor? If so, now is your time as we’ve a bucket load of free bets to giveaway to new customers.

Sign-up to Ladbrokes, Netbet, Bet365, Coral, BetBright or BetVictor via any of the links on this page, deposit and place your first bet and drop us a line at hello@welovebetting.co.uk. We’ll then arrange for TWO free bets to be dropped into your betting accounts and we’ll also cover your first bet with instant cash up to £5.

Remember folks, if you ever want to join a new bookmaker give us a shout – no other site will give you extra bonuses such as free bets and instant cash like WLB!

How To Claim Your Free Bet And Instant Cash: 

  1. Register for a new account at Ladbrokes, Netbet, Bet365, Coral, BetBright or BetVictor via any of the links on this page. If you don’t use a link from WLB, you won’t be valid.
  2. Deposit and place your first bet (up to £5).
  3. Email hello@welovebetting.co.uk to let us know your account username and the bookmaker you’ve joined.
  4. We’ll arrange for TWO £10 free bets to be dropped into your betting accounts as well as £5 instant cash to cover your first bet.
  5. Remember, you’ll also be entitled to the new customer bonus or promotion with each of Ladbrokes, Bet365, Netbet, Coral, BetBright or BetVictor too. However, if you don’t join via the links on this page, you won’t be valid for our free bet and instant cash giveaway.
  6. Free bet crediting can take up to 28 days.
  7. Any questions? Just drop us an email or tweet us at @WeLoveBettingUK.

TOPICS

Betting Guides & Articles

...
Chelsea vs Luton | FA Cup Betting Preview & Tips
...
Bayern München vs Union Berlin Betting Preview & Tips
...
Manchester United vs Liverpool | FA Cup Betting Preview & Tips
...
Scottish Betting Preview & Tips: Steelmen could spring a surprise