AC Milan v Chievo: Luiz Adriano eyes Serie A momentum

Luiz Adriano wants AC Milan to take the momentum of Sunday’s victory over Sassuolo into their midweek visit of Chievo in Serie A.

Substitute Luiz Adriano came off the bench to ensure a 2-1 win over 10-man Sassuolo four minutes from time as Milan moved 10th in the top flight following a rocky start to Sinisa Mihajlovic’s reign.

Under Mihajlovic, Milan have lost four of nine Serie A outings but moved into the top half on Sunday ahead of the visit of Chievo, who have not beaten Milan in almost 10 years.

Their last win over Milan came in December 2005 when Sergio Pellissier and Simone Tiribocchi cancelled out Kakha Kaladze’s opener in Verona.

“The most important thing was the three points,” Luiz Adriano told reporters following Sunday’s win.

“It was a difficult match and at times it was as if the ball just didn’t want to go into the back of the net.

“But then our efforts paid off in the end and we came away with the win. The good of the team and the group always comes first. If I start or not doesn’t matter much. The main thing is to win.

“We showed great spirit. We have to keep training with intensity and keep on this path. I hope the fans support us from the first minute and we can come away with three points against Chievo.”

Milan’s M’Baye Niang is unlikely to feature despite a return to training following a fractured metatarsal this week as Rolando Maran’s Chievo seek to brush off the disappointment of Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli.

Maran felt match-winner Gonzalo Higuain denied Chievo a point with a contentious handball incident inside his own area, with no penalty forthcoming from the officials.

It was Chievo’s second straight defeat and Maran told Sky Sport Italia: “We are getting used to refereeing errors going against us.

“There was a clear Higuain handball. I don’t know whether [referee Davide] Massa’s vision was impaired – there’s nothing more I can say.”

Maran’s men have won just once on the road in Serie A this season but will leapfrog Milan with victory on Wednesday.