As the winter break approaches and the thoughts of football fans and presidents respectively turn to presents and transfer acquisitions, the feeling reverberating throughout AC Milan is one of quiet confidence.Last season, under the auspices of a beleaguered Filippo Inzaghi, Milanisti had to wait until February to celebrate a seventh league win. This season, under the more experienced and assured Sinisa Mihajlovic, they applauded win No. 7 by 28 November.Thus, while sitting only seventh in Serie Aone place below Sassuoloand having scored only one more goal than they have conceded, Milan are in a state of relative improvement.The improvement has undoubtedly been more gradual than was hoped for. And while there have been some glorious recent peaks such as a 3-1 win away to Lazio and a 4-1 trouncing of Sampdoria in San Siro, the troughs have been low.There was the opening-day outclassing by Fiorentina; the derby defeat to Inter; the 4-0 annihilation inflicted by Napoli. But the Rossoneri have navigated through those treacherous waters to find safer climes.Now, after 14 rounds of league fixtures, Milan are recognisable again. They are beginning to resemble the team their storied past demands them to be. Mihajlovic wants more, too, telling Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia): The objective is to win all thegames leading up to the Christmas break.All of this is bad news for Carpi, who just so happen to be the next team in Milans firing line.The miracle story of last season following their winning Serie B to achieve promotion to Italian footballs top tier for the first time in their modest history, Carpi have since straggled at the lower reaches of Serie A.Recent crumbs of comfort came in the form of the away win over Genoa and the draw against fellow strugglers Verona, but all in all, its been a fairly volatile campaign for the Biancorossi.On several occasions they have been overwhelmed, such as in their opening-day, dream-crushing 5-2 comedown against Sampdoria and a relentless 5-1 defeat to Roma on a harrowing visit to the Eternal City.Coach Fabrizio Castori, who led the team to promotion, was fired in late September only to be re-hired in early November.In fairness, Carpi have been competitive since Castori returned. Defeats to Sassuolo and Chievo were finely decided by one-goal margins, while the surprise win away to Genoa was followed up on Thursday with a Coppa Italia victory over Vicenza.Still, the contrasts in size, prestige and ambition between them and their visitors this Sunday could not be more emphatic. These differences are perhaps well-articulated statistically by the sheer gulf between Transfermarkts market valuations of their respective squads; the worth of Carpis stands at 29.54 million, Milans at 145.81 million.Its hard to imagine how, one way or another, that gap will not be evidenced on the pitch when the two sides meet this weekend.Date: Sunday, 6 DecemberTime: 7:45 p.m. GMT (2.45 p.m. ET)Venue: Stadio Alberto Braglia, Modena, ItalyTV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK)Live Stream: Not availableForm GuideCarpi 2-1 Vicenza (Coppa Italia)Genoa 1-2 CarpiCarpi 1-2 ChievoSassuolo 1-0 CarpiCarpi 0-0 Hellas VeronaMilan 3-1 Crotone (Coppa Italia)Milan 4-1 SampdoriaJuventus 1-0 MilanMilan 0-0 AtalantaLazio 1-3 MilanTeam News and Predicted LineupsMilan may have to travel to face Carpi without regular first-choice left-back Luca Antonelli. Its a shame; the Italian international has been a consistently strong performer this season. His absence does, however, give another opportunity to Mattia De Sciglio.De Sciglio has been frustratingly error-prone and unreliable of late as his status as a future star continues to wane, but theoretically a match against Carpi shouldnt put too much strain on any defensive ineptitude.He will be part of a back four in a 4-4-2 system that Mihajlovic triumphantly trialled for the first time in Milans last league match against Sampdoria. The keen positional sense of his players made effective a system that is rarely seen in Serie A these days, though it will be intriguing to note whether it has the same effects against a Carpi side with renewed confidence as opposed to a Samp side desperately lacking it.Mario Balotelli comes closer and closer to a return with each passing week, but he will not be ready for this weekend, allowing Carlos Bacca and MBaye Niang to continue working on their budding strike relationship.The pair dovetailed successfully against Sampdoria with Niang finally scoring his first league goal for the club as part of a brace, and if they continue to play together in such a fashion, Balotellis injury will be much less of a concern.The home side will probably opt for a less adventurous 4-4-1-1 formation with Ryder Matos flitting between the lines of midfield and attack. The Brazilian, on loan from Fiorentina, has impressed at times this season and is the one player with the skill to potentially unlock Milans defence.Another on-loan Brazilian, Gabriel Silva, will be worth Milans attention. The left-backs occasional marauding forward runs are a possible source of attacking inspiration for Carpi.Elsewhere there are former Milan players aplenty throughout Castoris side, from Cristian Zaccardo and Simone Romagnoli in defence to Marco Borriello up front. All three will no doubt be motivated to help spring a shock against their former employers.The key tactical question will relate to Milans ability to unwind a Carpi side that will no doubt be geared towards keeping the score down. The Rossoneri have averaged just 47.9 percent possession, according to WhoScored, but will have to adapt to having the lions share on Sunday.Carpi (4-4-1-1): Vid Belec; Cristian Zaccardo, Simone Romagnoli, Riccardo Gagliolo, Gabriel Silva; Lorenzo Pasciuti, Isaac Cofie, Lorenzo Lollo, Raphaele Martinho; Ryder Matos; Marco BorrielloMilan (4-4-2): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Ignazio Abate, Alex, Alessio Romagnoli, Mattia De Sciglio; Alessio Cerci, Juraj Kucka, Riccardo Montolivo, Giacomo Bonaventura; Carlos Bacca, M'Baye NiangPlayers to WatchMarco Borriello (Carpi)The former Milan centre-forward has been back in form of late after a spell out of the Carpi lineup brought about through suspension, scoring two goals in as many games.A rough, tough, barrel-chested attacker from a bygone era, Borriello is not afraid to mix it with defenders, and 20-year-old Alessio Romagnoli will have to temper any youthful exuberance to handle his wizened opponent.Riccardo Montolivo (Milan)In a match where Milan can rightfully expect to have the majority of possession, Montolivos passing range and composed dictation of tempo could be crucial.The 30-year-old has taken well to his more deep-lying role this season but will be performing under less pressure than usual on Sunday.Instead his task will be to take his time picking Carpis defensive lock and finding the runs of his more attack-oriented team-mates.Key BattleCristian Zaccardo (Carpi) vs. Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan)Zaccardo was nothing more than a squad player towards the latter stages of his time at San Siro but for Carpi is a virtual star; no-one else in the Biancorossi squad can claim to have played at a World Cup.Still, his challenge this Sunday is an arduous one, as he will be the man tasked with keeping Bonaventura quiet. The versatile attacking midfielder has relished his left-sided role of recent times and keeps on scoring and creating goals. His latest strike came last weekend against Sampdoria.With a European Championships looming at the end of this season, Bonaventura will want to continue his impressive run of form so that he may one day say, like Zaccardo, that he once represented his country at a major international competition.OddsCarpi +254Milan +110Odds provided by Odds Shark
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