Big game heroes Milan face test of mettle against lesser lights

AC Milan’s French defender Theo Hernandez (R) and AC Milan’s Portuguese forward Rafael Leao celebrate after winning the Italian Serie A football match between SSC Napoli and Milan AC at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples on March 6, 2022. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

AC Milan host Empoli on Saturday with a slender lead over their Serie A title rivals and a hoodoo to bust against the league’s lesser lights.

Last weekend’s 1-0 win at Napoli allowed them to reclaim top spot and was another in a series of strong performances against the duo they are battling for the Scudetto.

It came after last month’s Milan derby triumph which was also powered by Olivier Giroud and an impressive display against their local rivals in the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final, which however was not rewarded with a goal.

But the gap separating Milan from Inter is only two points because of their recent struggles against teams they are odds-on favourite to beat.

The win at Napoli was preceded by draws with bottom side Salernitana — when they were leading after only four minutes — and Udinese, another team fighting the drop.

Those two draws allowed Napoli to claim the summit going into the last round of fixtures and they have also lost at home to Spezia, albeit in bizarre circumstances, since the turn of the year.

Milan, who are missing the suspended Theo Hernandez on Saturday, have Cagliari, Bologna, Torino and Genoa coming after Saturday and chance to turn the screws if they can start treating lesser teams like they do the big boys.

“Mentality makes a huge difference, some matches there is a spark and others it’s not there,” said coach Stefano Pioli ahead of his team’s win at Napoli.

“It also depends a bit on tactics because if you don’t