AC Milan vs Chievo preview - Allegri keen to kick on



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Posted Saturday, November 03, 2012 by PA

Massimiliano Allegri concedes that a top-three finish in Serie A may be beyond AC Milan, but he believes victory over Chievo will get the Rossoneri moving in the right direction.

Allegri has bought himself some more time in the San Siro hotseat, for now, with a creditable victory over Genoa and a dramatic draw in Palermo stabilising the struggling Diavolo in mid-table.

Five defeats from 10 matches is hardly form to worry the leaders, though, and as Juventus and Inter Milan continue to rack up the points, Allegri admits his side are unlikely to force themselves into contention for the Scudetto this season.

He told acmilan.com: "This year is different from the last two, we have to put a team together that can vie for the top three spots in the next few years.

"The club is laying the foundations for the long-term future.

"This is a team that is destined to improve, but we're having difficulty now but the board knew all too well that we would struggle this year.

"Next year the team will be back to contest the top three spots."

Stephan El Shaarawy emerged as Milan's saviour once again, his seventh league goal of the season snatching a point from the jaws of defeat at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Allegri was criticised for his tactical approach to the game in Sicily, which saw Palermo quickly take a 2-0 lead before the break.

But the Diavolo boss will not overhaul his starting XI against Chievo, adding: "I accept the criticism because we are not getting results, but I really don't enjoy changing the way the team play.

"The club know that and they sympathise with me. We are all looking to get out of this situation and climb back up the league table.

"The game against Chievo will be as important as the one against Genoa because a win would let us jump up the table and move closer to fourth place.

"It will be a very, very difficult game. We will come up against a very organised Chievo.

"We face a team that runs hard, doesn't concede many, who are aggressive and good on the counter-attack."

Allegri must choose between Alexandre Pato and Giampaolo Pazzini as a strike partner for El Shaarawy, while midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and goalkeeper Cristian Abbiati return to contention.

Kamil Vacek returns from suspension for the Flying Donkeys, who sit in 15th place, while striker Alberto Paloschi remains sidelined through injury.

Adrian Stoian scored in a vital 2-0 win over Pescara in midweek, and he told the Corriere dello Sport: "We're hoping for a bit of luck.

"We can certainly give Milan a game, though, as they're not the team they used to be."



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