Milan-Udinese Preview: More Than A Numbers Game

Milan have gone from being undefeated in the league for 24 matches and possibly contending for the Scudetto to now needing to focus every single match until the end of the season and win enough matches just to achieve their original goal of top four and qualifying for the Champions League again. Allegri has always claimed that this was the goal, focusing on the number of points Milan would need to qualify, which perhaps sold this team short. Or maybe the very light 23 man roster was simply not enough for a "winning manager" like Allegri to actually "win?" Either way, Milan host Udinese at the San Siro on Saturday evening knowing they need all three points. Allegri has been under a lot of media and fan pressure to implement an attacking trident, as his 3-5-2 system has not benefitted any of our attackers all season long and the goals have dried up. But even Allegri knows this isn't just about a formation or the number of attackers on the pitch at one time. To qualify for the Champions League now, this is more than a numbers game.

Allegri is under a lot of pressure to stop being his stubborn self.

Udinese have held onto Kosta Runjaić, who has satisfied their midtable urges with a 12th place finish last season, and currently has them in 11th place on the table. Their most recent match was a surprise 0-0 draw with Como on Monday. For that match, Runjaić lined up a 3-4-2-1 with: Okoye; Kristensen, Kabasele, Solet; Ehizibue, Piotrowski, Karlström, Kamara; Ekkelenkamp, Atta; and Zaniolo. For this match he will be missing Zamura and Zanoli to injury.

German manager Kosta Runjaić has managed to live up to his expectations.

Allegri, on the other hand, finally has all of his players available. Mind you, Gabbia is still not 100%, but he did return to training with the group this week, and will be available, likely from the bench. But he still has Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modrić, and Athekame all one yellow card from suspension. Will some of those players be okay risking a card in this match, missing the Verona match next week, but ensuring they would be back for Juve? I suppose they might, we have had a surprising low number of yellow cards lately, though, particularly after the AIA was called out for their continued blatant errors against Milan a while back.

The big question all week, though, has been, "Will Allegri change formation?" He gave the typical annoyed tactician's response in his press conference, but reports say that he has tested the 4-3-3 in training this week. And honestly, while it's at least three losses and a number of draws too late, I hope it actually happens. He has neutered Leão and Pulisic's strengths, forcing them to play out of position all year. And probably not just coincidentally, they have both struggled with niggling injuries all season long. Now that he has both Füllkrug and Santi Gimenez as actual strikers after having zero or just one of them all season, he can afford to let our world class wingers go back out to the wings and hopefully play out of their minds again.

We need this back. Even if he's not 100%.

And it couldn't be more important, either. Allegri has talked about numbers all season long, and played gambled with his precious corto muso football. But football is so much more than just numbers, it is about actually winning, not "just by a nose." With the bad blood that has built up since Udinese's "not-racist" racism against Maignan two years ago, he was fortunate to miss the away match, which we won convincingly. (Allegri missed that one, too, actually.) But that ease of play and self-belief is long gone. Our players are battle-weary, and burdened with the full weight of Allegri-ball. So all we can do is hope that Allegri is humble enough to drop his stubbornness and change some tactics, because winning enough matches to qualify is actually more than a numbers game.

This post inspired by the music of Baby Lasagna's "Stress"

Check out the latest Milan Obsession Podcast celebrating 15 Years of Milan Obsession

Our next match is:

Serie A Week 32

Milan vs. Udinese

Saturday, April 11, 2026 • 18:00 CEST (12:noon EDT)

In the U.S., this match can be streamed for free on DAZN (in Spanish,) or on Paramount+,

or use a VPN to access better coverage

Serie D Week 31

Brusaporto vs. Milan Futuro

Sunday, April 12, 2026 • 15:00 CEST (9am EDT)

This match may not be available in the U.S.

Campionato Primavera 1 Week 33

Milan Primavera vs. Atalanta Primavera

Monday, April 13, 2026 • 17:00 CEST (11am EDT)

This match is not available in the U.S.