Massimiliano Allegri remains the ideal coach to lead AC Milan and has kept the Rossoneri on course to achieve their goal of returning to the Champions League this season.

That is the view of midfielder Ardon Jashari, who has spoken out in defence of Allegri ahead of Sunday's trip to Serie A strugglers Cremonese.

Allegri's first season back in charge of Milan, who he previously led to the Scudetto back in 2010-11, has been a success, for the most part.

They are second in Serie A, having failed to qualify for Europe entirely last season, though a 1-1 draw with Como and a 1-0 defeat to Parma in their last two matches have all but ended their title hopes.

The Rossoneri are now 10 points adrift of rivals Inter going into matchday 27, but Jashari – who joined from Club Brugge in a €36m move last August – believes Allegri is doing an excellent job.

"The coach is very important for every player. For his experience, for what he has done in the past, for the trophies he has won... you can only listen to him," Jashari told Sportmediaset. 

"He knows exactly what Italian football is and what it takes to win. He is a great coach; we see every day the passion that he puts into it."

The Opta supercomputer only assigns Milan a 3.1% chance of winning the title, though they made the top four in 91.7% of season simulations. 

"Of course, reaching the Champions League is still the main goal this season," Jashari said. 

"When you play in this competition, it means experiencing magical nights. It is something we must all achieve together."

Jashari has endured a frustrating debut campaign in Italy, having only made eight Serie A appearances and three starts after suffering a fractured fibula in October.

But he is hopeful of playing a more prominent role in the closing weeks of the campaign, adding: "Now I feel 100%, and I'm working to help the team win more games. Milan means a lot to me. 

"When I was told that I could come to Milan, it was a dream come true. To arrive at this magical club after a long negotiation... It's a fantastic feeling to play for this club."

Sunday's hosts, Cremonese, are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference, having only scored one goal – and picked up two points – in their last seven games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Cremonese – Jamie Vardy 

This match will see the two oldest players to have scored in Serie A this season face off, in Luka Modric (two goals, born September 1985) and Vardy (five goals, born January 1987).

No Cremonese player has outscored Vardy in Serie A this term (Federico Bonazzoli also has five), and the Leicester City icon has netted those goals from just 3.8 expected goals (xG).

AC Milan – Christian Pulisic

Only Lautaro Martinez (eight) has scored more away goals than Pulisic (six, level with Santiago Castro) in Serie A this season. 

Pulisic has never scored more away goals in a single Serie A campaign (also six in 2024-25), and when considering the top five European leagues, he has only scored more away goals in the 2019-20 season with Chelsea (seven).

MATCH PREDICTION – AC MILAN WIN

Cremonese are one of just two teams to defeat Milan in Serie A this season, having beaten them in Allegri's first game back in charge of the Rossoneri in August.

They could now win consecutive Serie A matches against Milan for the first time, while they have gone unbeaten in their last three league matches against the Rossoneri (W1 D2).

Milan have also failed to score in their last three Serie A away games against Cremonese (D2 L1); the last Rossoneri players to score against the Grigiorossi at the Stadio Giovanni Zini were Jean-Pierre Papin and Marco Simone, in a 2-0 victory on 26 September 1993.

However, Allegri's side are favoured to end that run, with Cremonese currently on a 12-match winless run in Serie A (D4 L8).

This is their second-longest run in the competition, after a 30-game streak between April 1996 and February 2023. Cremonese have failed to score 10 times in those 12 games.

Cremonese have drawn the most home games in Serie A this season, with six of 12 finishing level (W2 D4), and three of those have been goalless draws. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Cremonese – 16.9%

AC Milan – 60.4%

Draw – 22.7%