Massimiliano Allegri urged his AC Milan players not to be "overwhelmed" by their recent defeat at Napoli, insisting it "cannot destabilise the work of a season."

The Rossoneri surrendered second place in Serie A after their 1-0 loss at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Monday, with the Partenopei subsequently leapfrogging them in the table.

Nine points behind leaders Inter with seven games remaining, Allegri's main focus is now on securing Milan's return to the Champions League next season.

The head coach wants his squad to remain "proactive" ahead of their clash with Udinese on Saturday. 

"In Naples, the team played a good game and had favourable situations that they did not exploit," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"The result affects the judgement. We went there to win, but on that field, you can lose. A match cannot destabilise the work of a season, it cannot lead you to be overwhelmed by events. 

"There is room for improvement: for example, in the last few matches, we have lost twice away. The moment must be faced with great serenity and lucidity.

"After you lose second place and move away from the top, it's normal to have a psychological backlash. During the week, the team then turned to the final goal, working every day to do more. 

"There are seven games left and there are teams that are growing in terms of performance. It is important to play with a proactive attitude, the quality of our players is high, and I have full confidence in all of them."

Udinese, who occupy 11th place, have won just one of their last four games in Serie A, though they did hold high-flying Como to a goalless draw last time out.

"Tomorrow will be a difficult match against a physical team," Allegri added. "We have to stay focused."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AC Milan – Mike Maignan

Maignan is set to make his 300th appearance across Europe's five big European leagues, in which he has provided three assists since joining Milan in the 2021-22 season.

During that period, only Ederson (five) has registered more among goalkeepers, with Pau Lopez and Mark Flekken having also recorded three.

Udinese – Nicolo Zaniolo

Milan are one of four teams (alongside Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino) against whom Zaniolo has scored more than one goal in Serie A (two goals against all of them).

The 25-year-old is also one of only three Italian players (along with Federico Dimarco and Sebastiano Esposito) with at least five goals and at least five assists in the Italian top flight this season.

MATCH PREDICTION – AC MILAN WIN

Milan have won their last four Serie A matches against Udinese, only registering a longer winning run against them in the top flight between 1998 and 2001 (seven games).

The Rossoneri could also beat their opponents four times in a row without conceding a single goal for the first time in the competition.

Though beaten by Napoli last time out, Milan have not lost successive Serie A games since a run of three straight defeats in March 2025. 

Meanwhile, it was also between February and March 2025 that Udinese last recorded three consecutive clean sheets in the top flight.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

AC Milan – 63.6%

Draw – 20.2%

Udinese – 16.2%