(Football news) Scudetto winners AC Milan return to the Serie A on Sunday when they visit Hellas Verona after getting comprehensively beaten by Chelsea for the second time in under a week. The Rossoneri now face an uphill battle to make the Champions League last 16 but first must tackle opponents stranded in the bottom three and now under new management. Last match against Chelsea saw defensive lynchpin Fikayo Tomori sent off after just 18 minutes at San Siro.

Having conceded twice before the half-time break, another loss became inevitable and the Rossoneri now sit third in Champions League Group E with only two games remaining. The seven-time Champions league winners have not progressed to the knockout stage since 2014 and their hopes of ending that drought hang by a thread. AC Milan are only fifth in the table, three points adrift of leaders Napoli as the reigning champions have fired in the most shots from high turnovers (20) and recorded the most direct attacks (28) of any side in Serie A this season. Stefano Pioli's side has the chance to be the only unbeaten team away from home throughout 2022, winning nine of 13 fixtures on the road this year. Furthermore, victory over Verona would mean at least seven wins of their first 10 games in three consecutive campaigns for the very first time in club history.

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Hien, Gunter, Cabal; Faraoni, Tameze, Veloso, Doig; Hrustic, Verdi; Henry

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Krunic, Diaz, Leao; Giroud

Following another brilliant display in Europe, the Serie A leaders Napoli return to domestic duty as they host Bologna at Stadio Maradona. In their latest victory of the season, Luciano Spalletti's inspired team took Ajax apart again and they subsequently also sit on top of the table in Italy after the first nine rounds. They are still unbeaten this season as Napoli are now being recognised as genuine Scudetto contenders and perhaps even candidates to reach the Champions League's latter stages.

After crushing both Liverpool and Rangers, the side from Naples completed a comprehensive double over Ajax and beat them 4-2 to qualify for the round of 16 with two matches in hand. Only Milan have posted more points since the beginning of 2022 and Napoli also boast the best attacking stats this year with 61 goals scored at an average of 2.18 goals per game. Summer signings Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have brilliantly  settled into Spalletti's well-oiled machine, and recent results suggest there will be little Bologna can do to stop them on Sunday.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Kim, Rui; Ndombele, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Posch, Soumaro, Lucumi, Cambiaso; Medel, Schouten; Orsolini, Soriano, Sansone; Zirkzee

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