Massimiliano Allegri says AC Milan need to get back to being “a bit more ruthless” in the second half of the Serie A season, with Como next up for them on Thursday.

At the halfway point, Milan are second in the table, three points behind rivals Inter, ahead of both of their midweek games.

Since losing on the opening day of the season to Cremonese, Milan are unbeaten in their last 18 league games (W11 D7) but have lost ground on the leaders after back-to-back draws with Genoa and Fiorentina in their last two outings.

Milan are given an 8.9% chance of winning the Scudetto by the Opta supercomputer, but Allegri's main aim is keep their momentum going when they travel to Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

"We have 40 points. Those are the ones we earned on the pitch, and it's a good base. No one can take them away from us," Allegri said.

"Now we have to think about the next 19 matches, the second half of the season, and pick up points to stay in the top four.

"We need to get back to being a bit more ruthless during matches. There are moments when we're a little fragile in both phases.

"And we need to improve certain situations of play, especially being more technically precise. The players have great quality, but they need to be convinced that they are a strong team."

Como, meanwhile, are flying high in sixth, just five points behind the top four, having suffered just three defeats all season.

Cesc Fabregas' side are unbeaten in their last four matches, though their three-match winning streak – in which they did not concede – was ended by a 1-1 draw with Bologna last time out.

Allegri has been impressed with what he has seen from Fabregas in his coaching career so far, but said this match is about the teams on the pitch, not the head coaches.

"It's not Fabregas against Allegri, it's Como against Milan," Allegri said.

"Fabregas is doing an excellent job; it's a lively Como side that presses well and is technically strong.

"He's doing a great job even if he's only been coaching for two or three years."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Como – Martin Baturina

Both of Martin Baturina's goals in Serie A this season have come as a substitute and after the 85th minute.

The Croatian midfielder has never scored in back-to-back league matches in his career within a single season.

AC Milan – Christopher Nkunku

Christopher Nkunku has been involved in four goals (three goals, one assist) in his last three Serie A matches, after only providing one assist in his previous ten appearances.

In 13 top-flight games, Nkunku has already matched his entire goal involvement (three goals, two assists) from last season's Premier League campaign with Chelsea across 27 appearances.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Milan are unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A matches against Como (W8 D5), scoring 22 goals and conceding six. Como's last top-flight victory against AC Milan was in January 1985 (2-0).

The Rossoneri have won their last four Serie A matches against Como, but they have never achieved five consecutive top-flight victories against them (four also between 1951 and 1952).

In fact, Milan have avoided defeat in 11 of their 13 away games against Como in Serie A, winning the two most recent (W6 D5); Como's last home league victory against them at the Sinigaglia was in March 1982 (2-0).

However, Como are one of three teams, along with Juventus and Napoli, who remain unbeaten at home in this Serie A season.

They have recorded five wins and four draws in their nine home matches at the Stadio Sinigaglia, with Fabregas' side never conceding more than one goal in any of those fixtures.

Milan have registered a maximum of one defeat after 19 games in a single Serie A season (W11 D7 L1) for only the fourth time in the three-points-for-a-win era, after 1995-96, 2003-04 and 2004-05. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Como – 33.2%

Draw – 28.2%

AC Milan – 38.7%