Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi will be the centre of attention when Verona and AC Milan lock horns in the Serie A round 29. The Mastini aim to build on back-to-back wins over Sassuolo and Lecce and they are likely to rely on their solid defence in Sunday’s clash. The good news for the hosts is that Poland defender Pawel Dawidowicz is back from suspension, but forward Juan Manuel Cruz faces race against the clock to be fit for the match.
The Rossoneri, on the other hand, aim to build on a hard-fought 1-0 win over Empoli. Olivier Giroud should be recalled to the starting XI and seeing that both Rafael Leao and Alessandro Florenzi are back from suspensions, there is a big value in betting on the Champions-League-chasing visitors. You should know that Milan are after their seventh consecutive win over Verona in the Italian elite division.
Highlighted Player (Christian Pulisic):
Christian Pulisic is an American professional footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Chelsea. Born in Pennsylvania on the 18th of September, 1998, the talented midfielder joined Brackley Town's youth setup in 2005. He then went on to feature for Michigan Rush and PA classics before being recruited by Bundesliga outfit Borrusia Dortmund in February 2015.
Impressed with the rate of his progression at their academy, BVB integrated the teenager into their first team over the winter break. On the 30th of January, 2015, Pulisic made his professional debut at the age of 17, coming on as a substitute in Dortmund's 2-0 home win against Ingolstadt in the league. He then went on to score his first professional goal three months later in a 3-0 league win over Hamburger SV. Before joining English club Chelsea in 2018, Pulisic played a total of 4 seasons at Dortmund, three of which were as a full-time player and the last one on loan from the Blues.
The 21-year-old is now back at Chelsea for the 19/20 season and is currently on a contract that expires in 2024. Pulisic's club career honors include winning the 16/17 DFB Pokal with Dortmund. Additionally, Pulisic initially represented the USA at the under-15 and under-17 level before getting called up to the senior squad. He made his senior debut on the 29th of March,2016, as a substitute in USA's 4-0 thumping of Guatemala in the CONCACAF World cup qualifiers.
Highlighted Team (Verona):
Founded back in 1903, Hellas Verona are a professional football club that compete in the Italian Serie A. The “Mastini” are well known for their yellow and blue jerseys and they welcome their opponents at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi. Hellas Verona share rivalry with Chievo Verona and the two local rivals face each other in the “Derby della Scala”.
The first derby of Verona was played on November 18, 2001, with Hellas Verona emerging triumphant (3-2). In 1985 the Mastini won their first and only Scudetto, with the team finishing the season in top position in the Serie A standings, four points clear of second-placed Torino. The likes of Preben Elkjaer, Giuseppe Calderisi, Hans-Peter Briegel, Pietro Fanna and Antonio Di Gennaro led Hellas Verona to the historical success.
However, the most famous footballer who played for Verona is Romania international Adrian Mutu, who scored 16 goals in 57 appearances in the league for the Stadio Marc’ Antonio Bentegodi outfit. Verona will compete in the Italian top flight in the 2017/2018 season as they finished the 2016/2017 Serie B campaign in second position in the table.