AC Milan vs Venezia: Chukwueze to battle Akor Adams – Preview, team news, tips & H2H

San Siro plays host to one of Serie A’s top rivalries on Friday as AC Milan welcome newly promoted Venezia to Matchday 2 of the 2026/27 campaign, Afrik-Foot reports.

Samuel Chukwueze, the Super Eagles winger operating as a wing-back in Ruben Amorim’s system, lines up for the Rossoneri, while Akor Adams, the Super Eagles striker signed from Sevilla for €16 million this summer, leads the Venezia attack, setting up a compelling personal duel between two Nigerian players.

Milan head into proceedings on three points after a 2-1 opening-day victory at Torino, while Venezia are pointless and goalless in Serie A following a 2-0 defeat at home to Lecce, making Friday’s journey to one of the most intimidating grounds in Italian football an immediate test of their top-flight readiness.

AC Milan vs Venezia Match Preview

Ruben Amorim, appointed as head coach in June 2026 after the Portuguese manager departed from Manchester United, got his Milan tenure off to the ideal start with a composed away performance in Turin.

Teenage sensation Alphadjo Cisse became the youngest Italian to score for the Rossoneri in a top-flight debut since Patrick Cutrone in 2017, opening the scoring after the hour mark from Adrien Rabiot’s assist before the French midfielder added a second himself.

Milan’s 19 shots at Torino hinted at the high-energy pressing Amorim wants to implement, though Che Adams’ late consolation for the hosts was a reminder that defensive solidity is still being worked on.

Venezia, by contrast, carry significant momentum from Serie B but very little from their first top-flight outing of the new campaign.

Giovanni Stroppa’s side won the 2025/26 Serie B title with 82 points from 38 games, then claimed a 3-2 comeback victory over Modena in the Coppa Italia on August 15, but their Serie A return opened with a 2-0 loss to Lecce in front of their own supporters.

The defeat was harsher than the scoreline suggested. Venezia dominated possession, had 19 shots compared to Lecce’s 12, and had two goals ruled out by VAR, which offered reasons for optimism mixed with genuine concern about their cutting edge at the highest level.

The away record, though, is terrible. Venezia are on a 26-game winless run in top-flight Italian away matches (10 draws, 16 losses).

Head-to-Head: AC Milan vs Venezia

Milan have won all four Serie A meetings between the sides in the last five years, keeping a clean sheet in every single one and accumulating 11 goals without conceding once.

Most strikingly, Milan have not lost at home to Venezia since November 1942.

Team News: AC Milan vs Venezia

Amorim is set to keep faith with the XI that beat Torino, with Chukwueze continuing at right wing-back and Pervis Estupinan on the opposite flank in the 3-4-2-1 shape the manager has deployed since pre-season.

Luka Modric, 40, came off the bench in Turin but should partner Yunus Musah in the double pivot, a pairing that combines experience and athleticism, while Loftus-Cheek and Cisse operate as the attacking two behind main striker Goncalo Ramos.

Leao and Gimenez are doubts, and Amorim is expected to leave summer signing Diego Moreira on the bench once more, resisting the temptation to change a winning combination so early in the campaign.

For Venezia, the defensive absentees are significant. Marin Sverko and Andrea Adorante, who scored 17 goals during their title-winning Serie B campaign, both remain sidelined, while summer addition Matias Moreno is a doubt with a muscle complaint.

Stroppa is expected to name the same starting XI that faced Lecce, with Adams and John Yeboah continuing as the two forwards in the 3-5-2 setup.

Star Player watch: Samuel Chukwueze vs Akor Adams

The prospect of two Super Eagles forwards sharing a San Siro pitch on Friday is the story within the story.

Chukwueze, born in Umuahia, has established himself as one of the most direct wingers in Serie A since arriving from Villarreal in 2023, accumulating 59 caps for Nigeria along the way.

In Amorim’s 3-4-2-1, he operates at right wing-back rather than a pure winger role, a positional shift that requires more defensive discipline but grants him freedom to drive forward when Milan have possession.

Adams arrived in Milan in the summer, joining Venezia from Sevilla after registering 10 goals and three assists in LaLiga during the 2025/26 campaign.

The 26-year-old forward from Kogi hit the ground running in Venice, scoring twice and providing an assist in the Coppa Italia victory over Modena on August 15, and he will be desperate to end Venezia’s run of scoring failures against the Rossoneri.

The Managers: Ruben Amorim vs Giovanni Stroppa

Ruben Amorim arrived at San Siro with a clear brief from ownership to establish an identity and compete at the top of Italian football after seasons of inconsistency.

The 41-year-old Portuguese manager, who turned 41 in January, built his reputation at Sporting CP, where he won five major trophies including two Liga titles in 2020/21 and 2023/24, before a difficult 14-month spell at Manchester United that yielded an Europa League final but mixed domestic results.

His tactical hallmark is the 3-4-2-1 system, built around possession control, aggressive pressing from the front line, and wing-backs who carry attacking threat while maintaining defensive shape; his Serie A debut suggested those principles have transferred relatively quickly to his new squad.

Giovanni Stroppa brings Serie A experience to the Venezia dugout, having previously guided Crotone to top-flight promotion and managed Monza, and he enjoyed a competent pre-season with three wins from five matches.

The Lecce defeat will concern Stroppa despite the extenuating circumstances with the VAR decisions, and his first away trip to a heavyweight opponent with a depleted squad is a demanding early examination of his ability to organise a disciplined defensive shape against superior opponents.

Tactical Preview: How AC Milan vs Venezia Could Unfold

Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 places enormous demands on the wing-backs, who must provide the primary width in both attack and defence, and Chukwueze’s directness on the right will be Milan’s main outlet against Venezia’s compacted midfield five.

Modric and Musah in the double pivot give Milan ball retention and progressive passing from deep, with Loftus-Cheek and Rabiot positioned to exploit the channels between Venezia’s back three and their wing midfielders.

Venezia’s 3-5-2 is designed to be defensively robust, but the distances the wing midfielders must cover when tracking back after Milan’s transitions could leave gaps for Ramos’ movement across the face of the box.

The key tactical battle will be on Venezia’s right side, where Thierry Correia at wing-mid will have to manage Chukwueze’s running without losing defensive position, knowing that any space behind him will invite Ramos or Cisse to pull wide and combine.

For Venezia, Adams will need to occupy both Gila and Strahinja Pavlovic to hold the ball and bring Yeboah into the game, but with little supply expected from midfield in the first phase of build-up, he may find himself isolated for long stretches.

Stroppa’s best hope is to use Stankovic’s shot-stopping ability to weather early pressure, stay compact and make Milan work for openings, then threaten with quick transitions if Adams can win aerial duels and lay off to oncoming runners.

AC Milan vs Venezia: Prediction and Betting Tips

AC Milan vs Venezia Score prediction