Milan are being forced to use all their resources in order to keep pace with Juventus in the Serie A title race with just six games remaining.
Milan lined up with 14 players missing when they travelled to Chievo in midweek and it was testament to their courage and determination that they came away with a narrow, and perhaps undeserved, 1-0 victory.
That ensured they kept the gap to leaders Juve to a single point ahead of this weekend’s games.
The champions may get a couple of players back for the visit of Genoa, the team with the worst defensive record in the league, but midfielder Antonio Nocerino insists they will keep fighting whatever happens.
“We’ll try to win every match by giving every last drop of blood, we won’t let up,” he said.
“The pitch will decide who wins it and if it’s them we’ll applaud them.”
Tuesday’s victory was crucial as Milan had relinquished the league lead to Juve by taking only one point from their previous two games.
That saw coach Massimiliano Allegri come under fire from the press as the Rossoneri also crashed out of the Champions League to Barcelona in the same period.
Those criticisms irked Allegri, who is only in his fourth season as a Serie A coach and second at Milan, having won the title in his first at the San Siro.
“There has been excessive criticism, many people were de-lighted we slipped up but we’ve got back up,” he said.
“There was a media campaign waiting for us to lose but instead we’ve kept the title race alive despite people holding our funeral after we lost to Fiorentina at the San Siro.”
Genoa not only have the worst defence in Serie A but they have now fallen to just one place and two points above the relegation zone, which means they will be fighting for their lives.
Juventus travel to Cesena tomorrow with their hosts facing the real possibility of being the first team to be relegated if results go against them.
Juve are riding a wave of five straight wins in the league having drawn six of their previous seven but coach Antonio Conte is still smarting over dropped points.
“There’s definitely a bit of bitterness for the game we dominated but didn’t see out this year, against Genoa, Chievo and Cagliari, all games in which we failed to deliver the knock-out blow,” he said.
Elsewhere, Lazio will look to bounce back from their midweek upset to Juve as they travel to second bottom Novara. They head Udinese by three points in the race for third place and Champions League football next season.
Roma are also ready to pounce, just one point further back, as they host struggling Fiorentina tomorrow night.
Napoli were in that battle until a run of five games without a win, and three defeats in a row now.
They travel to in-form Lecce as Walter Mazzarri’s team try to rediscover the form that had taken them to five wins in a row a month ago.
Lecce have been rejuvenated under Serse Cosmi and are now just two points from safety having previously looked doomed.
Fixtures
Serie A
Playing Today
Milan vs Genoa (2-0) 18.00
Udinese vs Inter (1-0) 20.45
Tomorrow – 15.00
Atalanta vs Chievo (0-0)
Cesena vs Juventus (0-2)
Lecce vs Napoli (2-4)
Novara vs Lazio (0-3) 12.30
Palermo vs Parma (0-0)
Siena vs Bologna (0-1)
Roma vs Fiorentina (0-3) 20.45
Monday
Cagliari vs Catania (1-0) 20.45
Standings: Juventus 68; Milan 67; Lazio 54; Udinese 51; Roma 50; Napoli, Inter 48; Catania 43; Chievo 42; Atalanta, Palermo, Bologna 40; Siena 39; Cagliari, Parma 38; Fiorentina 37; Genoa 36; Lecce 34; Novara 25; Cesena 21.
Serie B
Played Yesterday
Juve Stabia vs Padova 2-0
Today – 15.00
Cittadella vs Ascoli (1-0)
Grosseto vs Nocerina (2-1)
Gubbio vs Vicenza (1-3)
Modena vs Varese (0-0)
Pescara vs Livorno (1-3)
Reggina vs Crotone (1-1)
Sampdoria vs Brescia (0-0)
Verona vs Bari (1-0)
Monday
AlbinoLeffe vs Empoli (0-0) 19.00
Torino vs Sassuolo (0-0) 21.00
Leading standings: Torino 66; Sassuolo 64; Verona 63; Pescara 62; Padova 56; Varese 55; Brescia 53; Sampdoria 51.