Fresh from their rousing Coppa Italia semi-final triumph, AC Milan return to Serie A action on Sunday with a visit to relegation-threatened Venezia at Stadio Penzo.

The Rossoneri, who dismantled Inter Milan 3-0 in midweek to seal a 4-1 aggregate win and reach next month’s final, are riding high after an otherwise turbulent campaign. Inspired by Luka Jovic’s brace and Tijjani Reijnders’ late strike, Milan completed an unbeaten season against their city rivals and booked a date with Bologna in Rome.

However, with Champions League qualification out of reach following a stinging defeat to Atalanta, Sergio Conceição’s side must now rally to avoid ending the league season in mediocrity. Five points adrift of eighth place and needing to leapfrog several teams, Milan’s best hope of returning to Europe lies in lifting the Coppa Italia trophy.

While speculation over Conceição’s future swirls ahead of a likely summer overhaul, his immediate focus will be on preserving momentum. Having found some consistency with a 3-4-3 system, Milan will look to key men Rafael Leão and Theo Hernandez to exploit the spaces against a Venezia side still fighting for their Serie A status.

The hosts, meanwhile, have shown considerable resilience in recent weeks. Eusebio Di Francesco’s men seemed doomed in February but have since lost just once in eight outings. Their revival — despite six draws — has kept them within touching distance of safety, although last weekend’s late collapse to Empoli underlined familiar frailties. No team has squandered more points from winning positions this season than the Arancioneroverdi.

Missing key players including first-choice goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, Venezia will again rely on former Inter man Andrei Radu between the posts. Daniel Fila’s return from suspension should bolster the attack as the Lagunari look to upset the odds, having conceded 13 goals across their last four meetings with Milan.

While Venezia’s desperation and recent resilience should not be underestimated, Milan’s superior quality and the confidence gained from their derby demolition should shine through. With Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic flourishing in a freer attacking structure, the Rossoneri are tipped to edge a spirited contest and keep their late-season momentum alive.

刚刚在意大利杯半决赛中大获全胜，AC米兰将在本周日的意甲赛场做客保级球队威尼斯。

红黑军团在周中以3-0击败国际米兰，最终以4-1的总比分取得胜利，并将在下个月的决赛中胜出。在卢卡·约维奇的进球和蒂贾尼·雷金德斯最后时刻的进球的鼓舞下，米兰完成了对同城死敌的不败赛季，并预定了在罗马与博洛尼亚的比赛。

然而，在输给亚特兰大之后，冠军杯的资格已经失去了，塞尔吉奥·孔塞帕拉<e:1>奥的球队现在必须振作起来，避免以平庸的成绩结束联赛。目前距离第8名还有5分的差距，米兰需要超越几支球队，他们重返欧洲赛场的最大希望在于捧起意大利杯。

虽然关于concepp<s:1>未来的猜测在夏季可能的大修之前盘旋，但他目前的重点将是保持势头。在找到了一些稳定的3-4-3阵型后，米兰将寻找关键球员拉斐尔·莱<e:1>奥和西奥·埃尔南德斯来利用他们的空间来对抗仍在为意甲地位而战的威尼斯。

与此同时，东道主在最近几周表现出了相当大的韧性。二月份，迪弗朗西斯科的球队似乎注定要失败，但自那以后，他们在八场比赛中只输了一场。他们的复苏——尽管6次平局——使他们离安全只有一步之遥，尽管上周末输给恩波利突显了他们熟悉的弱点。本赛季没有哪支球队比安东尼奥-内维尔多浪费了更多的积分。

包括主力门将斯坦科维奇在内的关键球员缺阵，威尼斯将再次依靠前国米球员拉杜在门柱之间防守。丹尼尔·菲拉从禁赛中恢复应该会加强球队的进攻，拉古纳里队在最近四次与米兰的比赛中丢了13个球。

虽然威尼斯的绝望和最近的恢复不应该被低估，但米兰的实力和从德比中获得的信心应该会发光。随着拉斐尔·莱<e:1>奥和克里斯蒂安·普利西奇在更自由的进攻结构中蓬勃发展，红黑军团有望在激烈的竞争中取得优势，并保持赛季末的势头。